The Great Merch And Meritorious Shopkeepers Of Litchfield County
Plan a day of feel-good shopping in Connecticut's northwest corner from Litchfield to Salisbury.
Jessica DeCarlo of Rosemary Rose Finery in Salisbury, CT
This past Sunday, I tooled through Litchfield County, Connecticut, visiting a couple of new shops and finding my spirits buoyed by the owners and their vision behind each of their enterprises. On the ride back, I reflected on the heyday of mall trips, when the purpose of the shopper was to buy something, and the goal of the shop was to sell goods and nothing more. Not to get all Pollyanna on you, but the owners I met on Sunday are selling goodness along with their inventory. That’s my term for it, anyway. It was a fun day, and an itinerary I can definitely recommend. You’ll meet some pretty fine folks.
Calling itself “a giving boutique,” this packed shop on South Street across from the Litchfield Green is dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking while supporting the children and women who have been rescued from it. Many of the items (from 78 female vendors both local and from around New England) have been made by former victims. The boutique’s name refers first to hope for the girls and women; the honey reflects the store’s support of the environment, as it donates proceeds from the honey sold to the Bee Cause Project.
Owner Leah Blake, homeschooler to her four daughters, has long been active in fundraising to help girls rescued out of trafficking. Although you might not think so, the pandemic was hard on home schoolers, who lost their network along with everyone else. Three years ago, she opened up Hope & Honey as sort of a school project for her three oldest girls, and the family business took off right away.
The reading nook at Hope and Honey
Harney teas, jewelry, stationery, candles, sundresses, baby items, mugs and teacups are sold along with Silk City Coffee and Hope & Honey’s Hope Blend. The beans are harvested by female farmers from Guatemala, with proceeds going to Elevate Academy, whose mission is to educate survivors of trafficking.
About eight months ago, Blake decided to bring in books (mostly used) to see if they’d be a popular sell. To say it went well would be an understatement. Now, a significant portion of the boutique is filled with a sizable collection of good condition, mostly fairly recent books neatly categorized in shelves and throughout the store. Blake created an inviting reading nook and even started a monthly book club. You don’t have to be a fervent reader to appreciate what’s in store, but if you are, you’ll feel understood: the merchandise is heavy on reading and coffee memes.
“We primarily serve day trippers, and tons of tourists from all over the world,” Blake says. Hint, hint.
Peggy Mercury Apothecary, Accessories, Art, Kent, CT
When James Boehmer and Gregory Fricke met me with exclamations over my radiant pink toenail polish and sparkly pink sandals, I knew I was in my element. The shop is all about color, texture, print, and inclusivity. Everything inside has a story, the owners told me, and the story begins with their individual backgrounds and Peggy Murphy’s raison d’etre.
Boehmer is a makeup artist who’s worked at some of the biggest cosmetics companies, most recently as artistic director at Shiseido. Fricke was in model management, and both worked at Barney’s early in their careers. Ready for a new adventure, they moved to the Litchfield Hills in 2021, and this past spring opened Peggy Mercury, their boutique in the Kent Barns. The name came from their leading light — famed art collector and bohemian Peggy Guggenheim, a champion of “the new and the weird.” Mercury refers to both Boehmer and Fricke’s ruling planet. While they’ve been welcomed into the community and are overjoyed at living here, they feel there’s been a void in the area where kids can come discover, learn, and play — “to discover who you are,“ says Fricke. They’ve created a safe space where students from the area’s independent schools — Hotchkiss, Avon, Kent — can feel comfortable, and perhaps find mentors in Boehmer and Fricke.
Gregory Fricke and James Boehmer
Of course, anyone is welcome to play with the makeup, skincare and fragrance products in store and consider a makeover by Boehmer. You’ll want to touch the items you didn’t know could be crocheted (by Kim Gibbs, made as Unraveled for Peggy Mercury). Or the vintage-inspired, moire fabric baguettes by handbags from For the Ages, or the upcycled jewelry and accessories.
Because the two have worked with so many creatives over the years, it was natural that their business would also be part gallery focused. Currently on the wall is “Our Mother Marsha” by Daniel Robin Clurman, which pays tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, the Black-Trans activist who played a major role in the LGBTQA+ community and was one of the fiercest voices in the Stonwall protests. Clurman created a series of silkscreen prints — for sale — based on his illustration of Johnson. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Housing Works, a NYC-based nonprofit fighting the crisis of AIDS and homelessness. The artist was in store at the exhibition opening earlier this month to customize the screen prints.
Community engagement, in fact, is a theme that flows through Peggy Mercury. The couple plan to draw people in with movie screenings and music, and will be producing an exhibit of Peggy Guggenheim portraits during the holidays.
“We want to facilitate change and connect likeminded people,” Fricke says. Sparkle fiends, you’ll find sanctuary here.
Rosemary Rose Finery, Salisbury, CT
It’s been barely three months since Jessica DeCarlo opened Rosemary Rose Finery, but the retail part is going so well, she’s now focused on planning gatherings at the shop in Salisbury. For DeCarlo, a jewelry designer and maker who got her start by selling at flea markets in Brooklyn, the store is the means to gathering the community together, something she did at her grand opening with a make-your-own natural perfume and sage bundles party. Over the years, the Jessica DeCarlo brand has gone global. Her creations are sold in boutiques all over, she’s traveled to Japan for trade shows, and her jewelry can be seen on Joan Jett and Kendall Jenner.
But it was town itself that made her want to swap her flea market tables and Brooklyn studio for a brick-and-mortar place. Having moved to Amenia, she loved treating herself to meals at the White Hart Inn and fell in love with Salisbury. “The energy is so beautiful,” she says of the town. When she saw the space on the main drag was available, she was one of many who vied for it. Fortunately for us, she nabbed it, and a store was born.
Jessica DeCarlo's signature swirl earrings (center)
At Rosemary Rose (named for DeCarlo’s grandmother, who would have been celebrating her 100th birthday this year), the mix of artisanal, vintage and modern design jewelry runs the gamut from costume to estate items. DeCarlo’s own style veers toward the geometric, notably stars, arrows, and her signature swirl earrings. Besides her own and others’ jewelry, the shop is filled with aromatherapy products, butterflies under glass domes, candles and candleholders; additionally, you'll find products from local herbalists, fragrances, infused oils, face masks and lotions— much of which comes from female-run businesses.
DeCarlo also creates custom jewelry and offers a repair service. “So many women come in with meaningful jewelry that they haven’t been able to wear in a long time,” she says. “I’m happy to be a part of fixing things and bringing those pieces back to them.”
She’s hoping to make the community gatherings a monthly happening, beginning in late summer. It might be a person teaching about plants, an artist’s talk, or a craft project. The concept, she says, is learning something — together. That throughline of goodness we've seen in Litchfield to Kent? It continues at Rosemary Rose.
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