GLOCESTER – A store that emphasizes high-quality and fine craft, providing shoppers with the chance to purchase unique and meaningful gifts has joined the Chepachet business community.
Heirloom Emporium is now open at 1195 Putnam Pike, a gift gallery featuring handmade woodwork, and other fine craft and art created by independent artists.
“Most of the pieces we offer – about 95 percent of them – are produced by independent artists working in New England, with an emphasis on Southern Mass. and Northern Rhode Island,” said owner Julia Anderson, who runs the shop with her husband, Kevin Anderson.
Julia and Kevin are the primary artists, working at a studio in neighboring Burrillville known as Heirloom Evolution. Kevin is a traditional woodworker and Julia is a woodturner/artist, and the couple emphasizes the importance of meaningful, independent work.
“It’s important to us that we know where and how the pieces we sell are made, so that we can stand by those products and offer the kind of customer service that helps a shopper make an informed decision, as well as helping them care for the product they purchase,” Julia said. “We’re proud to say our products are made by small businesses in the U.S.A.”
The proprietor noted that service is also a key component of the couple’s vision, and their aim is to make shoppers feel empowered to customize and personalize purchases. She said that sometimes that means modifying an antique in the studio to accommodate the client’s lifestyle, and other times it means walking a customer through the purchase of a new piece in the store.
“Most of us think of shopping as a leisure activity, and in the village of Chepachet it most certainly is a treat, but it can also be stressful when you have an idea of what you want, especially when it is a gift for someone else, but you can’t find it anywhere,” Julia said. “I want people to come into our store and feel relaxed, valued, and most importantly, that we’re listening to them.” A few of the services Heirloom Emporium offers include engraving, CNC carving and cutting, and in-house graphic design, among others.”
Situated just beside the roundabout at the center of the village, the shop, which opened on Monday, July 1, marks a new location for the creative duo. The business previously operated in Manchaug Mills in Sutton, Mass.
“The business community in this village is spectacular and we can’t wait to become involved,” Julia said of the new space.
The shop is now open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, email [email protected] or visit their website at www.heirloom-emporium.com.
