Newly opened in the basement of the Damariscotta Center building on Main St., Kindred Gifts offers local crafters and artists a place to sell their handmade goods.
New store owners Liza Morrison and Kim Toscano have been friends since meeting in college at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the late 1990s.
The two have always been crafty, Morrison said. Toscano creates jewelry and crochets. Morrison created a successful children’s clothing line two years ago, which was only available at The Diaper Store until now.
Morrison moved to Maine from Massachusetts five years ago. Toscano just moved to Maine at the end of the summer. The pair had often discussed opening a business together showcasing local crafts. They just didn’t plan to open the business now.
“We’re both stay at home moms,” said Morrison. “We wanted an outlet to do what we wanted with the flexibility to be there for our kids. We wrote the business plan for years down the road.”
When a space downstairs in the Center building came available, Morrison and Toscano decided to put the idea into action early, Morrison said. They wanted a venue to offer an ever-changing selection of handmade local products for sale, similar to a year round craft fair.
The advantage over a craft fair is the artists are free to focus on their creative process, instead of having to spend time selling their product. Morrison explained they wanted to differentiate themselves by showing a different side of Maine crafting.
“Traditionally, there are lobsters, moose, wreaths, blueberries and jam,” Morrison said. “Our artists are inspired by their natural surroundings. We carry lots of colorful, artistic, funky, and unique items.”
Kindred Gifts carries the works of 25 different crafters with more pieces coming in everyday. Toscano and Morrison don’t place many restrictions on their producers, they said.
Crafters have the option of focusing on one medium or many, and offering their products online, in the store, or both. They encourage their artists to use recycled materials and re-purpose items for new uses whenever possible, Morrison said.
Art and photographs are accepted on a limited basis at this time, due to lack of available wall space. All pieces will be considered, and artists’ are encouraged to bring in pieces they think belong in the store, Morrison said.
New pieces are coming in everyday. “It’s neat to go to the post office everyday, and pick up little pieces of people’s souls,” she said. “They are willing to pack and ship (their crafts), because they believe in what we’re doing.”
Crafts-people and artists from near and far are on display at Kindred Gifts. Morrison explained one of their knitters lives upstairs in the same building as the store. Some are as far away as Bangor, Portland or Norridgewock, but many are as close as Newcastle, Boothbay and Nobleboro.
Morrison and Toscano believe the fact the goods they offer are local will allow their customers to make connections with their purchases, they said. Kindred means as one of like mind, they said.
“Kindred rang true for everything we were trying to do and create (with this store),” Toscano and Morrison said. “We want people to feel like they are a part of what they are buying. We want everything to be special and unique.”
Kindred Gifts offers a binder for customers to look through, which has a page detailing each artist whose wares are featured in the store. Patrons can touch and feel a product, then find out who made it, the materials used, and the creative process that went into making it.
Buying locally is good for the community, because the money spent stays local.
“When you buy something at a Big Box store, there is no connection to that item,” said Morrison. “When people make a connection with the item they are buying, they feel wiser about how they are spending their money. They are doing something good for the community and themselves with the money.”
With the recent economy troubles inspiring people to carefully monitor their finances and look for new ways to generate extra income, Morrison and Toscano are using their natural talents to help support their families, and helping others to do the same.
