ten under ten

Our "ten under ten" list is just that, ten great products under $10.  This offering makes for sweet stocking stuffers, lovely little gifts for co-workers, and perfect presents for Secret Santa exchanges.

From Wooster & Prince, a collection both lovely and useful:
1.  Emery Board 3-Pack ($5.50)  Lovely artwork meets everyday function in these emery board sets.  Packaged in a protective vinyl sleeve with flap closure, the pack of three can be taken anywhere for a quick manicure.  Available in seven print collections.
2.  Travel Tweezers ($5.50)  These precision slanted-edge tweezers are printed on both sides.  Each pair comes packaged for transport in a reusable vinyl pouch with flap closure.  Available in five print options.
3.  Listpads ($6.50)  These lined listpads make the perfect shopping companion  Each shrink-wrapped pad has 60 tear-off sheets on a magnetic backer card.  Available in four print options.

From Rifle Paper Co.:
4.  Pocket Notebooks ($10.00)  This set of two pocket notebooks is the perfect size to pop into a purse.  One notebook is adorned with a lovely floral print, the other a simple cream on sage pattern.  Each notebook is 4.25 x 5.5 inches and has blank interior pages and a saddle-stitched spine.

From Saipua:
These soaps are carefully crafted in small batches using food-grade vegetable oils, butters, herbs, and extracts.  Each bar is handcut, air dried, and cured in the Saipua workshop.  The family owned business, based in the Hudson Valley, continues to produce their soaps in small batches to assure quality and sustainability. 
5.  Tea Soap Collection ($9.00)  Available in Chai, Jasmine, and Green Tea fragrances
6.  Essential Oil Soap Collection ($10.00)  Available in Coffee Mint, Cedarwood, Basil, Lavender Oatmeal, Mango Butter, Saltwater, and Gardener's Soaps.  For a limited time, the holiday fragrances of Winter Citrus and Balsam are also in stock.

From Kala Corporation:
7.  The Paris Bouquet Floral Collection Soaps ($4.00-$6.00)  Since the turn of the 19th century, shea butter soaps have been used to soften the skin.  This collection of exquisite French soaps are available in five fragrances each captured in an antique design.  Top notes include rose, lilac, daisy, lily-of-the-valley, and multi-floral.

From Paddywax:
8.  The Library Collection Travel Candle ($8.00)  Celebrate your favorite writers with this 2-wick travel tin candle.  For all the bibliophiles in our lives, each fragrance is formulated to be evocative of the writer whose name graces the label.  Available in Edgar Allen Poe (Cardamom, Absinthe, and Sandalwood), Henry Thoreau (Cedar, Moss, and Juniper), Walt Whitman (Grass, Thyme, and Red Clover), Oscar Wilde (Cedarwood, Thyme, and Basil), and the holiday offering of Charles Dickens (Tangerine, Juniper, and Clove)

And to ensure lips will be in tip top shape for any mistletoe encounters.....
From Worker B:
9.  Lip Balm ($5.00)  Working with local, Minneapolis-based beekeepers with pesticide-free hives, this small company uses only organic products and no fragrances or added color in any of their products.  This lip balm contains beeswax, organic olive oil, organic almond oil, organic avocado oil, raw honey, and propolis tincture.
From GAL Collection from Spain:
10.  Lip Balm ($6.50)  Fashioned in Art Nouveau tins, these balms capture the rich milieu of life in Europe. Each one offers an ambrosial fragrance and a natural, moisturizing shine that lasts.  Available in limited quanities of Red Currant, Orange, and Strawberry.

Keep Calm and Cozy On

The weather here in Castine has turned nippy and the Maine Fall foliage tracker is showing color in the Northern regions.  Monday we received yet another package of smile-inducing product.  This shipment came to us all the way from the Lake District of England.

Katie Mawson established her business in 1991 after graduating from Camberwell Art School with a degree in textile design.  She started with hand knitted sweaters (jumpers in England) and went on to create a children's wear collection.  Over time, her work has evolved to her current line of felted wool gloves, hats, scarves, and home accessories  Katie's husband, Chris, joined the business in 2000 and everything is made by them with the help of their knitters, Kerry and Norman.  Katie carefully finishes every piece, felting them for extra softness, hand stitching, and labeling them as genuinely made in England. 

Wide stripes, narrow stripes, and tipped solids in fun colors.  Thanks to Katie and her team we can happily say, bring on the cold weather.....and smiles!

A Little Piece of the Big Easy

We have New Orleans to thank for more fabulous things than I can even begin to count....gumbo, Mardi Gras, Po' Boys, the Sazerac, and a vibe that can never be recreated anywhere else.  One of the other amazing products of the Big Easy is Alexa Pulitzer.  From the first time I set eyes on her stunning line of notes and list pads I was smitten.  Lucky Hill is now thrilled to announce it is a purveyor of Ms. Pulitzer's magic!

Finding a new line is exciting.  Ordering a new line is like a kid in a candy store.  Opening the boxes when the new line arrives in the shop is nothing short of Christmas morning!  Sometimes, however, it's more like getting the shiny bike on Christmas morning as opposed to the flannel nightgown.  Yesterday was a shiny bike day here at Lucky Hill.  You always know you have a winning line when you are selling to customers straight out of the shipping box.  A King Kitty notecard set went straight out the door with our dear customer, Jody.

Our antique wire garden half rounds are now laden with notecards, long pads, sketchbooks, and mousepads adorned with the most whimsical of creatures.  All are fabulous, but the mousepads are simply ingenious.   The actual pad is comprised of fifty sheets of paper sporting either the Royal Tiger, Royal Elephant, or Royal Owl.  While working on the computer, jot notes, numbers, or doodles and when that sheet has served its purpose....off it goes to reveal a sparkling new one. 

Yes...I'm gushing.  My big quandary?  Which pattern will become my signature stationery?  It looks like the Royal Goldfish may be swimming away with the title.

Hand-Poured Personality

As I previously mentioned, we've been on a mission to seek out products that celebrate our male clientele.  Our newest candle line, 2550˚, speaks to the personal habits and tastes of men.  However, these are definitely NOT the "man candles" that smell like beer, pork rinds, locker rooms, and other things I refuse to mention. 

After tiring of heavy and uninspired men's home fragrance choices, Jason Linscott worked to create a line of products with more "personality".  The resulting line is comprised of four fragrances that are richer in character, deeply layered, and infused with scent aspects that more closely capture a very definite personality profile.

Joe  Whiskey & rocks, a smoldering bonfire & a well-worn leather jacket
Notes of whiskey, woodsmoke, and leather overlap to create a warm, rich scent with a kick.  Oakmoss and cedarwood help to round out this scrapper.

Clive  Black tea, a hand-rolled cigarette & a mossy windowsill
Fragrant tobacco leaves blended with rich black tea, followed with bright green notes of bergamot and earthy vetiver- a perfectly balanced gent.

Luc  Green absinthe, a cobblestone street & a dark velvet topcoat
Mysterious and deep, notes of absinthe, bitter almond, and oakmoss blend together for a multilayered experience.  Rich dark chocolate, amber and flig slip in for added dimension.

Kurt  A saltwater breeze, sun-bleached driftwood & a tropical beach
Smoky sandalwood and briny kelp interplay with notes of banana and coral flower.  Geranium and vetiver jump in- reminiscent of afternoons in the surf.  

The candles are prepared using an all-natural, clean-burning soy wax base enhanced with botanical and fragrance oils.  Each candle is hand-blended and hand-poured in limited production runs to ensure consistency and quality.  The packaging is fully recyclable and the glass containers and hand-roughed lids are intended for reuse as cocktail glasses or catch-alls.  All 2550˚ candles are produced and packaged in Portland, Oregon.

So which one do I like?  Let's just say I was quick to inform Dan I will be spending the long, cold Maine winter with Clive.  I don't think he minds....after all, it's just a candle....not Clive Owen.

To the Rescue!

In my search for new product lines, I'm always on the lookout for young start-ups and/or companies that give back to good causes and charitable organizations.  This week we brought in leashes from Resq/Co.  The "Resq" is actually pronounced "rescue" which leads (no pun intended) to the fact they really do rescue animals.

One leash equals one donation which equals one life saved.  Ten percent of every purchase goes to animal shelters and animal rescue facilities.  The company donates to a different shelter every month and asked me to let them know of any animal shelters that are in need of help.  Hint:  Seriously, let me know of any animal shelters that might benefit and I'm more than happy to pass the info on to Resq/Co.

But back to the leashes....they come in two diameters, 3/8" for the smaller pooches, 1/2" for the big guys, and the length varies from 4 to 4 1/2 feet as a result of being handmade (in the USA).  The three strand premium grade line features a five tuck hand spliced handle with secured ends. Each leash is outfitted with a solid brass swivel clip that will withstand the elements and evade corrosion, a hand-stamped leather tag, and a solid brass key ring for holding waste bags, tags, keys.  We currently have stock in the natural and navy colors. 

On a personal note, I'd like to thank Finn (and his Mom, Lyn) for posing as our poochi model (get it...poochi instead of Gucci...what do you expect?  I was a fashion designer for 25 years).  He's a very handsome boy, I'm sure you'll all agree!

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

All too often, in the world of boutique retail, men are....sadly.... forgotten.  Relegated to the "bored husband chair" or biding their time just outside the door, shifting their weight from one foot to the other as they periodically glance at their watch, they have accepted the fact there isn't anything fun or manly inside.  We here at Lucky Hill have set out to change that antiquated retail model.

 A few weeks ago I started to compile a list of products men use that might be appropriate for our little shop.  As soon as that was in place, I went to work scouring the countryside for the best products in those categories.  Trust me, men have not been forgotten when it comes to product development.  Shaving and grooming have been elevated to an art form and there are now candle lines with fragrances specifically tailored to turn any man's head....be it bald, bearded, or burnished by the sun and sea.

Over the course of the next month or so, we'll be introducing these new product lines.  The first one to arrive was Prospector Co. out of Savannah, Georgia.  I think it's fabulous that the company also embraces men who have chosen to limit their degree of shaving.  Having married a bearded man, I love the fact they carry a beard oil.  A few drops massaged into the beard moisturizes the skin, softens the folicles, and conditions the beard.  As an added benefit, it can be used as an oil-based cologne. 

The descriptions of each product reminds me of the J. Peterman catalogue, the best of which being the Miss Annie Jones Shaving Oil.  As the story goes, Miss Annie Jones was the foremost bearded lady who capitalized on her unconfirmed case of hirsutism.  Born in Virginia in 1860, her "affliction" was evident even at nine months old at which time she was being paid the hefty sum of $150 a week by P.T. Barnum.  By the age of five, the patches of hair had blossomed into a mustache and sideburns.  Absolutely priceless!

In addition to the Beard Oil and Miss Annie Jones Shaving Oil, we stock the Peary & Henson Aftershave, K.C. Atwood Aftershave, and Brummell Shave Creme.  If you're curious and want to try an assortment, we offer the Tester Vials Kit ($16) of all the products with the exception of the Brummell Shave Creme.  Products range from $16-$28.

 

This Is What It's All About

I just have to share the best morning any shop owner could have.  Mornings at Lucky Hill are great because we get to smell all the yummy aromas coming from Bah's and see everyone walking down to partake in the delicacies.  A few minutes ago one of my customers was walking by with her family....which included her adorable 4 year old daughter.  The tyke stopped in front of the door.....decked out in pink with matching pink sunglasses.... waving happily to me.  And then she called out to her Mom, "Look Mommy!  It's the soap lady!"  Yes.  I couldn't help but burst out laughing.  These are things that made me miss having a shop all those years I was away from retail.  I wonder just how long it's going to take to get me to stop smiling about this one today!