Handcrafted Jewelry News from a Maine Jewelry Store

Being a retailer in Freeport I was more than happy to see that Yankee Magazine’s readers rated Freeport Maine as their most favorite shopping destination in all of New England.  That’s quite a statement considering all the other shopping choices out there.

But it’s no surprise really.  Freeport Village Station has just about filled its spaces above the new parking garage.  LL Bean has made some attractive upgrades to their campus.  New restaurants have opened.

The flowers are blooming and the benches are out for the men to occupy while the women browse.  It’s spring in Maine and the shopping is good!

I look around my desk and see Made in China everywhere.  Well, except for the shirt I’m wearing. It’s made in Honduras.

The owner of Winter People was in the store the other day.  She started the Freeport – based promotional advertising business over 20 years ago embroidering shirts and aprons.  We talked about the difficulty of doing business today without dealing with China, either directly or indirectly.

There is a ray of hope however, and where else but the Big Apple.  I had no idea there were over 7,000 manufacturers in NY’s five boroughs employing over 100,00 people.  The site Made in NYC is helping to link those manufacturers with buyers.

Maybe China isn’t the only answer.

Ok. I promise to stop whining about the weather. It is what it is. Eventually it will be safe to go outside.

We received a huge order this week. Thirty seven pounds to be exact. Fun and funky costume jewelry in all the new colors for spring. Lots of beads and crystals and glass. Pearls and shells and lots of dangly earrings. I especially like the hinged cuff watches in so many colors. They’re so affordable you can have one for every occasion.

Then there’s the silver. Loads of sterling silver earrings and necklaces. Anklets and bracelets too. It takes time to put price tags on all this jewelry! But it should all be out by the weekend.

We’d be happy up here in the north if all April brought were rain showers. A full foot of heavy snow last week cramped everyone’s style and put a damper on spring festivities. Some homes are still without power today. Oh, the price we pay for beauty and quiet.

Meanwhile, the store has begun to receive the first of many orders of new jewelry. Handmade creations of every stripe and color. New sterling silver pieces by Portland’s favorite, Julie Howison. Colorful glass bead necklaces and earrings by Penrose look like strings of candy. Handwrought sterling silver linked chains in great lengths for layering by Thomas Kuhner. New stretchy headbands by Violet Love that hold your hair in style without slipping or giving you that “headband headache”. Lots of fun!

Maybe I’ll just stay indoors for the time being. It seems more like spring in here than out there . . .

Ok, so I jumped the gun on spring. What can I say? It’s Maine! We all know spring is never assured until May, at least.

Mainers are a hardy bunch. Even those from “away” who have lived here for many years and can’t rightly call themselves true Mainers must be brave souls. A good number of Freeport merchants are in this category, having braved the nasty weather to participate in Freeport’s “Spring” Fashion Show at the Hilton. A few merchants had the opportunity to set up displays around the perimeter of the catwalk, thus having perfect views of the fashions as they paraded the runway. It was very impressive, seeing the variety of clothing and accessories available in this little town. Although the turn-out was not as large as expected, everyone there successfully ignored the raging wind and snow outside for a little promise of spring inside.