Nahcotta was one of the first stores I discovered after moving three years ago. I was so excited because it was the first design store/gallery I had seen and it was like someone took a slice out of Portland, Oregon (whereI moved from), lifted it up and plopped it down in Portsmouth, NH. Their logo, bright space and friendly welcoming drew me in and I have been a frequent visitor ever since.

Deb Thompson, the owner, opened Nahcotta in 2000. Her focus is to sell original art at affordable prices and products by independent designers and manufacturers such as Perch, Chilewich, Aster+Sage, Luli Tod and Lauren Saunders. She also sells furniture, mostly Blu Dot and Gus Modern. Two companies known for their beautiful contemporary design and reasonable prices. I loved seeing Blu Dot’s “real good chair” on my visit today!

At Nahcotta they love helping artist sell their work and feel lucky to do it. They rotate their shows monthly and have a special gallery event twice a year called the Enormous Tiny Art Show. Deb came up with the idea for the ETAS in 2007 and it has been a huge success. It has raised her online presence and draws artists work from all over the country. The show is held every February and September and the prices range from 40-400 dollars. It is one of Nahcotta’s favorite events because everyone shows up really excited and happy! The art shown above is a piece by Gretchen Wagoner.

It’s fabulous that Deb fills the store with products from artists that have shown their original art work here. Such as Suzy Ghahremani’s adorable “boygirlparty” line of paper goods. Tara Hogan’s darling line of cards. From Modern-Twist are the whimsical and irresistible placemats by Matte Steven’s (now represented by Lilla Rogers Studio BTW) and the sweet and lovely coasters and Vinotags by my dear friend Amy Ruppel. Nahcotta also sells Amy’s line of cards and notebooks from Vigo Cards which are pretty hard to find up here in these parts.

To visit Nahcotta’s web site and blog click here.

Thrift Shops

Thrift and antique stores are a constant inspiration to me. I’m always looking for books, flash cards and other paper items to use in my mixed media work. I am also completely hooked on vintage kitchenware from Pyrex to enamelware which makes it hard to resist.

I snapped up this Teach-Me set in a hurry. The artwork in these sets are wonderful! They are a great resource to me when I am looking to see what a certain animal or bird looks like. This shop had a lot of vintage games and I love the old type and layout on the boxes. They just don’t make them like they used to ;)

All of these photos were taken at Jennies Thrift Store in Haverhill, MA and at A Well Kept Secret in Kingston, NH.

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