Paul and Trish L’Heureux stand in front of the door to their soon-to-open shop, The Chickadee Flea, at the Elm Street Plaza in downtown Damariscotta. The couple plans to open the shop in early spring. (Suzi Thayer photo)
The Chickadee Flea, a shop for new and used furniture and home goods with the motto “everything to feather your nest,” will open in the Elm Street Plaza, in downtown Damariscotta, this spring.
The shop at the east end of the plaza, opposite the laundromat, will feature new and gently used furniture and home decor, art, and household items.
Owners Trish and Paul L’Heureux said much of the inventory in the shop will consist of consignment items. They encourage people who would like to consign items to email photos or bring them in when they open. They will select items they feel are the right fit for the shop.
The couple plans to offer a wide variety of items for sale, hoping there will be something for everyone. “Not everyone is going to be looking for a chest of drawers, but they may want to buy a hooked pillow or other small home decor item,” Trish said.
Trish, who has a knack for painting, will repurpose chests and other wood furniture to sell in the shop too.
The couple has a home in Lake Toxaway, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and is renting a home in Newcastle.
Trish, who said she has always wanted a shop like The Chickadee Flea, was visiting friends in Newcastle last August and fell in love with the area. She called her husband and told him he needed to come see the town. “She said she loved this place, and the people,” Paul said.
She came back in December and was chatting with Pam Olson, owner of the Lady’s Room, a clothing consignment shop in the Elm Street Plaza. Olson told her the space next door was empty. “I told her about the kind of shop I wanted to open, and she said she thought it would be great here,” Trish said.
She called the owner of the building, Colby & Gale Inc., and an agreement was reached. Deric Verney, of Colby & Gale, said he’s excited about the new tenants’ plans. “I think the shop is going to be a great fit for the community,” Verney said.
Both originally from Duxbury, Mass., where they met, Paul is a retired naval aviator and airline captain for U.S. Airways while Trish, who has worked in retail and managed a shop at one point, is a certified nursing assistant. Most recently she has worked in the caregiving field. She will continue that career along with running her shop.
Trish was careful to point out that the shop won’t be just a gift shop. “There are a lot of nice gift shops in town. Ours will be a little bit of everything,” she said.
The consignment terms will be a 50-50 split, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the consignor.
The name, The Chickadee Flea, was decided on because the owners like the concept of flea markets, because they love birds, and because chickadee, the Maine state bird, rhymes with flea.
Among items they will not accept are mattresses, appliances, electronics, baby furniture, clothing, and recliners. Items accepted for consignment should be delivered to the shop.
A flier for the shop states, “Consigning is a great way to help you downsize, free up space, and bring in extra cash. It offers you a safe and convenient alternative to selling items yourself.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a shop like this,” Trish said.
“And she has always supported my dream,” Paul said. “Now it’s her turn, and it’s my job to help her have her dream.”
According to Verney, the Elm Street Plaza building, at 40 Elm St., dates to the 1950s. The space The Chickadee Flea will occupy was previously Reel-to-Reel Music, a Radio Shack franchise, and originally, in the ’60s, a liquor store.
An early spring opening is planned. For more information, email info@thechickadeeflea.com or call 682-0122.
