I sincerely hope this post finds you in good health and good spirits! What a past year (or two) it has been! I believe it was Ghandi who said, “adversity is the mother of progress” and I have found that to be so true.
It has been 20 months since I’ve issued a newsletter post. Like many of you I have struggled over that period to balance the many impacts of the Covid Pandemic and the needs of family, home, business, and self. I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to my subscribers, customers, and followers for your supportive emails and pings over this trying period. What a wonderful community you are!
I’ve been doing more than just nesting at home these past 20 months! (Well, some nesting may have been done …. comfort food and wine may have been present… but that is a story for another day). After the freight train of cancellations in early 2020, I decided to move Town & Shore Handcrafted into a new phase. By October of 2020 I secured a lease and began the journey of moving my studio to a new commercial space in Wilmington Delaware.
Combining both a retail showroom and design/production studio, this new location allows me to house the full circle of operations in one place. I have had many adventures this past year trying to finish this project. Some tough lessons were learned along the way, such as a six-month timeline being way to aggressive. Contractor shortages, sudden price increases, building supply cancellations and months long delivery delays. To say I’m ready for a vacation would be an understatement. After a year of bobbing and weaving, I have finally settled into the location.
The Town & Shore Handcrafted brand is now both online (TownShoreStudio.com) and has a flagship store at 221 N Market Street Wilmington Delaware 19801. My studio is located behind the storefront at 221 N Shipley Street. Moving to this new location in the 2nd & Loma district (shorthand for Second Street and Lower Market) gave me an opportunity to fulfill several longtime business goals that I will write about over future blog post. The neighborhood is in a great location, just two blocks away from the train, bus, and transit stations. Wilmington’s Market Street has some great indie-businesses that you don’t see anywhere else, everything from art galleries, craft-beer breweries, fun little bistros, and coffee shops. New unique Apartment buildings such as The Cooper by BPG have also added to the architectural landscape, creating an interesting mix of new and old that somehow works with the restored Victorian era building fronts at the 2nd & LoMa complex.
Duality is an element that I blend into many of my designs, and I sought to do the same in my store design. At just over 500 square feet, Town & Shore Handcrafted is meant to give the feel of a jewel-box full of chic style, color and craftmanship. A shop that welcomes you with the fragrance of lavender, linen, and leather; beautiful merchandise; soothing music and great lighting. Street windows with colorful merchandise beckon you to a showroom that reflects the inspiration for my current season. The theme carries across shelving and racks as you browse one-of-a-kind pieces and my regular collection. A relaxing escape from the noise of the city with the intimacy of boutique shopping. A place where you can see what ethically made, artisan made, Wilmington made slow fashion really looks like.
