Hi readers!

This spring we are starting a brand new series of posts that features the retailers carrying Gingiber products. There are so many shops around the country that partner with us an we want you to know where you can go locally to see our products up close!

Our first shop featured is called Magpie and is located in Somerville, MA (just outside of Boston).

What is the inspiration behind the name Magpie?

Magpies collect random shiny objects to build their nests. We thought it was a fun way to describe our collection of interesting items.

How long has your shop been open?

Since October of 2004.

What types of items do you carry?

We carry a lot of different things; it’s pretty eclectic. We carry what inspires and excites us and that changes over time. In general we carry jewelry, some clothing (t-shirts and a curated selection of dresses, hats, etc), accessories such as bags and wallets, housewares like cocktail glasses and tea towels, personal care items like soaps and lip balms, even chocolate. We’ve been getting into chocolate lately – I think it’s the cold New England winter driving us to chocolate!

How would you describe your shop style?

Eclectic, irreverent, hip and funky.

What inspired you to open your own shop?

I started Magpie with 4 friends after we had helped organize and participated in the first two Bazaar Bizarre craft fairs in Somerville. We were sitting around after the event and we were all very excited about the indie craft movement. It was pretty open back then, you could sell macaroni art and you could get into a craft fair. I still have a reproduction of an album cover by the band Wire that someone made out of macaroni. We wanted to keep the spirit of the Bazaar Bizarre going all year round so we opened the store – without any business experience! So the short answer is we were inspired by the spirit of the fledgling indie craft movement in Boston in the early 2000s.

What did you do before opening the shop?

I was a publicist in the music business. I worked with a lot of cool artists and bands and am really glad I did that for several years.

What exciting things are happening at your shop in the coming months?

We’re about to launch our new website! Plus we are planning on having more craft beer tasting events at the store. We did one for Valentine’s Day with a company called Pretty Things and it was a lot of fun. Beer and shopping go together like a horse and carriage.

Thanks to the owners of Magpie for sharing about their shop! We are proud to be carried in such a fine establishment and we hope that if you live near the shop you will take some time to stop by and see all they have to offer. Click here to access their Facebook page and get more information.

Have a happy week!

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