A Stylish Seaside Boutique in Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Watch Hill, RI – Naming a shop Huxter may seem like an odd choice. Huckster (same pronunciation, different spelling) is defined as one who sells goods of questionable quality—a hawker or peddler, if you will. But for Read McKendree, an architectural photographer turned shopkeeper, the name just seemed right for his first boutique in Rhode Island’s idyllic Watch Hill.
“I was 12 and I really wanted to start a band although I couldn’t play any instruments, but if I could, I would have named it Huxter,” says McKendree. “I knew [the shop] was going to be Huxter—it wasn’t even a question.”
McKendree opened Huxter in 2013, satisfying a longtime desire to settle in Watch Hill and to be “literally by the beach,” as he puts it. The nautical-inspired store, with a shingled façade and beachy white walls, specializes in a rugged luxury that is characteristic of the surrounding land, a crassy stretch of coastline dotted with grand seasonal homes.
