A Good Conversation: The Hosting Company
with Founders Taryn Antoniou Cohen and Zach Cohen
Just like any typical friendship forms around here, I met The Hosting Co. founders Taryn Antoniou Cohen and Zach Cohen inside a barn 4 years ago. Technically, I’ve known Zach for 20 years, but our life paths had not closely crossed until our serendipitous meet-again in 2022. It was at the Fall AGH Market, and they came to shop pieces for their home. Their discerning taste was undoubted from the start— their purchases were the artful IYKYK ones, including Visual Comfort’s Pelham Moon Light Sconces, unique Middle Eastern Pottery and a framed Eagles concert poster from the 90’s, to name a few.
Zach and Taryn are people you meet and instantly feel like you’ve known them for a decade. Among other superlatives, Taryn is a creative juggernaut, which is hardly sufficient to explain her range of talent; Zach is the most genuinely engaging person I know, and his approach to conversations is of the rare type. Together, they make an exquisite team.
Last spring, when I found out they were opening a coffee-and-shoppe at the iconic 104 Main Street storefront in Ivoryton, I was overjoyed. I loved the entire concept. I got a little sneak peak in early summer while it was close-to-ready, but still in-the-works— upon walking in, I became overwhelmed at how incredibly the nostalgic space was being transformed into their vision. My inaugural (and very overdue) official visit happened in mid-December. I slipped in during the early opening hours to get the place (mostly) to myself, sipping on a perfectly crafted River Valley (London Fog) Latte à la Zach while pouring over every inch and product of the shop. The best shops are ones that are so creatively layered that only those with the most keen design-sense can achieve like HCo.— every corner & vignette is curated with the utmost thought and intention; not a detail left untouched. My favorite of all (though hardly an easy choice) is the often-rotated center table design installation. After doing numerous laps taking in all of the beauty there was to offer, I left with several cookbooks and candles for gifting and a set of vintage napkin holders for myself.
The Hosting Company is a retail enclave of endless products, ideas and inspiration designed to unlock the art and love of entertaining: from comprehensive tablescapes, bar & cocktail accoutrements, assorted provisions and florals, to playlists and in-store events and so much more. Learn more about this special shoppe and its talented founders in our latest A Good Conversation, below.
Introduce us to your brand & the inspiration behind creating it!
The Hosting Company is a uniquely curated retail destination and coffee shop featuring products dedicated to the art and joy of *hosting*. It is a culmination of both of our backgrounds in specialty retail and design, a long time dream for both of us.
It began though, as a daydream of mine (Taryn) over 20 years ago: Growing up, I would seek out places that made me feel something—spaces that inspired excitement and became catalysts for creativity and ideas. Most often, these were sweet cafés, and as I grew older, beautifully curated shops, markets, and ateliers around New York.
During my first (and often very stressful) job in the city, I would escape into the idea of working in one of those spaces whenever the days felt overwhelming—until a close friend once said, why would you work at the shop? You should own it. That was the moment the “coffee shop dream” was born.
From then on, I began sculpting the idea of a serene café and shop environment—one designed less around what it sold and more around how the space and its thoughtful curation made people feel. A space rooted in inspiration, safety, calmness, and warmth—emotions that nurture creativity and allow curiosity to flow.
Zach had a very similar dream. The combination of growing up among Italian women who were constantly hosting and entertaining, at a level that serve as everyone’s best memories, and a background that spans specialty retail on Newbury Street in Boston to commercial real estate and management consulting in New York is what formulated this recipe for The Hosting Company. Doomed to be a retailer, Zach is also an active leader within his family’s organization, owning and operating three high-volume grocery stores.
Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey. How did you get started?
Z: Before joining my family’s business in 2020, most of my career was spent in sales, marketing, and project management for menswear brands and in commercial real estate. While running a specialty men’s store on Newbury Street in Boston, I loved what I did and thrived in a consultative sales environment, but could never imagine running my own small brick and mortar operation. I’ve always been a design-obsessed person, and appreciate how a well-curated and designed retail shop can make you feel. Taryn and I have had this model of *coffee & shoppe* in our heads for many years, (more as a dream we figured would never be feasible) but when the space at 104 Main became available in early 2025, I called the number in the window and all of a sudden we were on a fast track to open HCo in a few short months. The complicating factor was that we could not step away from our current careers (and don’t plan to).
We established our LLC, wrote/re-wrote our business plan, built brand inspiration decks and designed logos over dinner. We scoured the area for antique fixtures, sourced equipment, built furniture, researched coffee/consumables/supplies, applied for various permits, etc in every possible gap in the day. We crossed off an incredible amount of tasks in a very short time in order to open on June 13th, 2025 after taking roughly 2 months to build out the space.
What have been some of the biggest roadblocks you’ve faced prior to getting to this current point?
Time. Balancing our existing careers, a family (5 year old and 1 on the way) and this new and beautiful chapter, time is always our biggest challenge. We have two wonderful employees that are a key ingredient to making this all work, Zach spends his days cloning himself to physically be in two places in the same day running the business and community aspect, while Taryn pours her pixie dust in on off-hours to make sure the space feels inspiring, thoughtfully curated and mercurial. This space is what makes us tick and fills our cup so to say it’s all worth it is an understatement.
What’s something you’re proud of achieving when it comes to your business?
Z: As basic as it sounds, I’m extremely proud that the company actually made a tiny bit of money in 2025. At the end of the day, we are endeavoring to build a sustainable business. Beyond that, I am so happy that our space has become a community hub for locals throughout the river valley and shoreline to grab a cup of coffee, connect, and feel inspired. Watching that unfold in real time is a treasure.
T: Just like in my event work it never gets old dreaming something up and watching it come to life. It took me about three months to ground myself in the reality of what we built together.
Could you share who has been the most impactful person in your life and why?
T: I would have to say my family. My mother just knew how to make all the holidays, not just the major ones, so special. So much so that it inspires me to this day to create that magic for others. My father has always seen my creativity as my superpower and has coached me over the years on how to leverage that into a career and never belittled the idea of being creative in my professional life. Finally my brother. He has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and rooted himself in being a business owner.
Z: That’s easy - Taryn. Beyond being the love of my life, mother of my child, best friend and partner in all things, she has enabled me to “level-up” consistently over the last decade we’ve spent together. I never would’ve achieved what I have in my career if it wasn’t for her support and belief that I was always capable of more. Nothing about what we do is easy, but I simply cannot imagine my life without her.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their entrepreneurial journey?
Be unapologetically true to yourself while making your vision a reality. Keep the noise out. Think two steps ahead and always anticipate what can go wrong, because mishaps are inevitable. Seek out advice, but don’t let it discourage you. Budget conservatively - There will ALWAYS be hidden expenses you don’t see coming.
What are your thoughts on work-life balance? What does that look like to you?
We feel very strongly about work-life balance, though we are not always the best at practicing it. In a world where everyone is accessible at all times, boundaries are important and necessary, however the pendulum swings both ways. Overworking yourself is easy and so is becoming complacent. Finding that sweet spot takes effort and can be challenging. The reward is a beautiful product that is inspired, fresh, and meaningful.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Z: During the week, I stop at HCo first thing to make sure our staff has everything they need from adequate supplies to product knowledge on new items we’ve brought in (and to fix myself a coffee - lately it’s been a maple americano). Then I run up to my other company to basically do the same thing in a much different context. I eventually land back at the shoppe to catch up on the day, pick up projects I’m working on, pay vendors, work on marketing/advertising initiatives, chat with customers, try desperately to keep our office organized, etc. There are always errands - running to the bank, picking up fresh beans from our coffee roaster, stopping at other shops owned by our friends.
T: After we get little man to school you can usually find me in our office in the back of the shoppe on Zoom calls with my team, poking my head out to capture content, freshen our floral section, and work on styling throughout the space.
We spend the weekends fully immersed in our operation, serving guests coffee and pastries, merchandising, re-merchandising, selling product, and often running out to source vintage items. We like to joke that our son is roasting coffee in the back, but that usually means he is drawing or watching TV (we’re not perfect!!)
What inspires you creatively?
T: What inspires me is the everyday. The life that we have curated together. In the summer it’s our garden that our son and I plant together. In the winter it’s cooking beautiful food while staying cozy inside in our home. Immersing myself in nature whether that be in a greenhouse that I venture off to or in our own backyard… and most of all, it’s watching my son experience things for the very first time.
Z: I am inspired by anything my wife touches creatively, all forms of architecture/design, music, and any project at home or in the shoppe that requires me to fire up the table saw.
What’s your favorite thing about your home?
Our recent addition and our floors. The most frequented space is the addition that we finished a few years ago by enclosing a large screened-in porch off the back of our house, which is now our kitchen and main living space. It has a super minimal feel but the textures throughout make it feel warm and serene. The walls are covered in roman clay paint and Zellige tiles with a balance of light and dark wood tones throughout. Our favorite detail is the window trim that we made out of band sawn pine. It has such an interesting, raw texture that we hadn’t seen before. Our floors in the old part of the house are extraordinary and existed when we bought the house in 2020. They are the original floorboards of the 1800’s home sealed with a high-gloss lacquer paint that both celebrates the imperfections of the antique home while giving it a fresh modern look.
Do you have any daily rituals? How does your home support those rituals?
Coffee. Even before the shoppe our coffee ritual was our north star. Each morning we make coffee using a beautiful unlacquered brass and glass pour-over setup that was gifted to us at our wedding in 2018.
What are three things you can’t live without right now?
Coffee
Our BE MINE Valentine’s playlist
The wildly hysterical things that come out of our son’s mouth.
What’s next for you and your business?
Ecommerce (stay tuned!) event space rentals for cocktail-style gatherings, and eventually building a design consultancy that leans on Taryn’s experience in events, interiors, and visual styling.
