Local shop, local gifts for local businesses
At CONNfetti, a new gift shop in downtown New London, consumers will find the usual array of candles, chocolates, ornaments and knickknacks.
What’s different – and what owner Barbara Ford of Waterford hopes to capitalize on – is the fact that just about everything in the store at 13 Golden St. is produced in, or inspired by, the state of Connecticut.
The store, which shares space with a gallery that features the artwork of Lynda McLaughlin, the wife of landlord Frank McLaughlin, represents 15 different artisans and business owners from across the state – and the goal is to feature many more.
“I was trying to find some kind of identity instead of just opening a gift shop,” she said. “When I go shopping, it’s hard to find anything made in this country, let alone locally.”
Hailing from Branford, Norwich and East Lyme, some goodies at CONNfetti cost as little as $3 (chocolates from Fascia’s Chocolates of Waterbury), while most are under $20. A few pricier items include a $27.50 “To the Pub” sign from Morningstar Designs of Clinton and an $89 hand-carved wooden codfish, the store’s most expensive piece.
The more conventional items sit beside one-of-a kind hand-painted decoupage boxes from Queen Vanna of Granby and unique products like pewter keychains from Woodbury and Capcatcher International’s bottleopener. Made in Newtown, the “capcatcher” is affixed to a board with a magnet back that sticks to the refrigerator, while a pouch on the front catches the bottle caps.
