shopping – New England's Narrow Road

Alice Blue shop — Little shop on School St. in Peterborough NH

New Englander’s are known for their ingenuity. So many independent crafters live in the area, they have formed the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. This is a group of individuals who have been identified as superior craftsmen and chosen to be part of this prestigious group. They have a collective show every summer at Mount Sunapee. I never had a chance to attend, but have seen their wares in fine shops in the area.

When I lived in New Hampshire, it was easy to find handmade items, farm stands, unique gifts, home decor, and beautiful yarn shops. People in the area seem to live and breath the arts. Just down the road from me was the famous MacDowell Colony.

Artists and Crafters Galore

My next door neighbor was a member of the League and made pewter items in a little shop next to his house, which had once been an Inn. I became friends with his wife and visited his shop once. It was a very small shed located at the side of the yard, filled with all the tools he needed to bring his ideas to life. I have a little pewter turtle made by him.

At the end of my road was a man who did glass-blowing. Another woman raised rabbits and used the fur to spin yarn. My son’s third grade class took a field trip to a fellow student’s farm to see how sheep were raised to supply wool for knitting. I bought all the plants for my yard from a local farm, in that same town. And if you wanted a handcrafted basket, head over to the Peterborough Basket Company.

I mention only a few of the many crafty places located close by. It was a wonderful place to live, and shop if you had the money to enjoy these things. The atmosphere of the area was quaint and peaceful.

Now That I Am in Florida Once Again

In 1979 I looked forward to moving to Florida. In 2016 I did not. I knew what I was in for, times 10. In my opinion Florida goes downhill year after year. Grrrrr…… For now, I’m talking about crafts, and specifically yarn arts.

I’ve taken up knitting again, but I must purchase all my yarn online. In order to discover which types of yarn I like best, I have to buy lots of different types whereas, in a shop, I could see the colors and feel the yarn before purchase. I may even get some much needed advice!

Although I live in a highly populated area, I can’t find a single place close to me to buy a hand-dyed, home spun skein of yarn. We have Walmarts and Michaels Craft Store, which do not carry that type of yarn. I keep hoping I am missing something and will stumble upon a cute little yarn shop somewhere that simply doesn’t advertise online.

Yarn Stores Closest to me: The Knitting Patch and Knit, both in Longwood. There are others in the same general built up area of the state that I try to avoid visiting.

I miss being able to drive to a store and shop for something unique, or pick out beautiful yarn myself. Florida is not conducive to crafters. That is not to say there are none, but this is a big state and I’m not about to drive an hour (through horrendous traffic) to get to a yarn store.

I miss my home and all the talented people who readily share their artistic abilities in the form of their creations. In New Hampshire many artists can make a living doing what they love best. They’ve carved out a little niche for themselves and made it work.

As I sit here in an air-conditioned house, I pick up my needles and latest knitting project, and dream of home.

Getting off track a bit, but before recently moving back to New England, I lived in central Florida for over 25 years.

I had a friend in Florida who loved to go to the local antique shops, malls and fairs and she got me hooked on old things. One of our favorite places to browse was the Junque Exchange in downtown Deland. It was (at the time) run by an older couple- I believe their name was Wright, who were very friendly.

It was an amazing store because it was fairly small but held so much stuff! The tables held silverware, dishes, books, doilies and vases and the walls were lined with pictures and old photos. I can’t begin to list everything found there, but I did buy quite a few knick knacks and this one large piece of furniture.

I saw the hutch at the back of the store and fell in love with the shape of the glass doors and the overall design. I needed a place to keep my old dishes and this hutch was perfect.

Like all the other furniture it was covered and filled with glassware and other things and when I decided I wanted to buy it, believe me it was a job just getting it cleaned out and ready to go.

I can’t remember exactly what I paid for it, but it seems that it cost around $400.

That was in the 1980’s and I went back to the Junque Exchange probably 20 years later but it had changed and I didn’t get the same feeling, nor was I as impressed by the items and prices. That was the thing about the old place, the prices were very reasonable.

I don’t know who runs the place now, but apparently it’s still there since I found the links online. Deland is a nice place to visit and is home to Stetson University which has a beautiful campus at the north edge of town.

I visited the Red Pine Mountain blog recently and she had posted pictures of a hutch her husband had made which made me think of mine and to post the photo I had to write a story.