As retail establishments go, the Lyme Tree in Old Lyme is hardly a high-pressure, hard-sell environment. It’s not meant to be.
The little shop in Old Lyme Marketplace is a great place for women of all ages and walks of life to catch up with friends, find hand-made original gifts from local artisans and support worthy causes in the process.
The Lyme Tree is one the handful of surviving Woman’s Exchanges across the country. The movement was started by some society women in Philadelphia in the 1830s to help widows and others make a living at a time that it wasn’t proper for women to be seen as breadwinners or working outside of the home. The exchanges became a formidable force in the 1800s, but have been on the decline as everything, from retailing and manufacturing, to the role of women in the work place, have changed.
Today, the local exchange is one of 18 remaining stores and organizations in the country. With the closing of the West Hartford exchange last year, the Old Lyme shop is now one of three remaining in the state. The other two are in Greenwich and Southport.
The Old Lyme shop has over 300 consignors, most of them from communities close by. Some items are carried year-round; others come and go with the seasons and fashion trends.
The charm and character of the Old Lyme exchange was obvious in a recent visit to the shop.
Bobby Gustafson, Lyme, one of the “Founding Mothers” in 1986, had stopped by catch up. She remembered when its beginnings, across the street, near the Hide-Away.
“We started out with a handful of women from just the surrounding towns, and they hand-made everything,” she said. “We had less than half of this space. It was just a place where people got together. It has grown so, it’s unbelievable”
As different officers got involved over the years, she said, they expanded the merchandise to round out the selection. Between evolving with the times, attractive pricing, and keeping a strong member base, the Lyme Tree continues while many exchanges around the country haven’t.
Today, the store carries a collection of all sorts of hand-made items by artisans in Connecticut plus some from other states that were recommended by other Women’s Exchanges. These account for about 80 percent of the merchandise; the remainder is complementary gift items, such as pewter candlesticks, coffee coasters imprinted with maps of the Connecticut River, more jewelry and specialty foods. The Exchange consciously selects items that aren't offered by other gift shops in the area.
There also are some antiques, usually plates and dishes. The shop currently is carrying a few items from the estate of Eleanor Walsh Meyer, one of the original founders and a long-time resident of Old Lyme, who passed away last August.
“I think a lot of people see ‘consignment’ and they think old stuff being offered for sale,” sand Sandy Dowling, publicity chairman. But aside from the antiques, everything else is new, or newly created.
The exchange is known for high quality hand-made infants and children’s clothing, from knitted baby blankets, hats and sweaters to smocked dresses and christening dresses.
“We always carried smocked dresses for little girls – the place was full of them,” said Gustafson. One popular seamstress, Lippy Reade, still stops by the shop each year as she drives up from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard, bringing by her newest creations.
Dowling likes how many of the items provide a touch of whimsy.
There are the hand-crocheted “scrubbies” made by a woman in Mississippi, the colorful miss-matched socks from a gal in New England. The store also carries cards and candles made by an 86-year-old woman.
Yarn artist Sandy May’s elegant little hand-knitted shawls are popular, as are the hand-painted bird houses made out of gourds. These are created by a woman in Niantic. She also paints glass holiday ornaments. Another woman makes ballerina tu-tu’s that play musical tunes.
A bit of the practice of not identifying the artists continues, both to respect the privacy of the consignors and to protect the retailing role of the exchange shops.
There also are creations by men, including wooden bowls carved by Kenneth Guarneri of Preston. He signs, dates, and lists the name of the wood on the bottom of each numbered piece. These been made from wood either recycled or collected in corrective pruning of trees, not harvested.
With about 30 members, ten of them on the board, the Exchange is always looking for more volunteers, according to Jenny Timcke, Old Lyme, Exchange co-chair this year with Dowling.
While most members tend from Old Lyme, Lyme and Essex, members can be from anywhere in the area, said Dowling, who lives closer to Madison.
Board member Barbara Farmer, Clinton, didn’t let a lack of previous retail experience deter her from getting involved.
“I’d retired and was wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life,” she said. “I was walking by with my husband and saw the store.”
Volunteers can put in as little as half a day every two weeks, which fits the schedule of Joanne Kottke, Essex, who rings up sales, or get more involved in any and all aspects of running a retail establishment.
For a rare find and unique gift, Kottke recommended the hand-made quill gift cards. These one-of-a-kind mementos were priced below most mass-produced gift cards.
“The store is beautiful. I love all the knitted baby wear,” said Nicole Tarantino, a new mother who moved to Old Lyme from Roxbury several weeks ago. She discovered the shop while walking around her new town.
As a non-profit organization intent on raising funds for local charities, the exchange gives consignors 70 percent of the proceeds from sale of their items. After covering its expenses, including rent, the balance is awarded each year to area organizations.
“Our theory is, if you’re going to buy a present, why not buy it at the Women’s Exchange, because you’re helping somebody else,” Dowling said. “That’s what we’re trying to do, help the artisans and help the organizations we support.”
The exchange board reviews requests and awards its grants with an eye toward education and support of families and individuals in need.
This year the exchange awarded a total of more than $2000 to four organizations along the shoreline area: the Old Lyme Youth and Family Services; the Valley Shore Domestic Violence Services Center, Westbrook; the Thames River Project, Norwich, and St. Martin de Porres Nativity School in New Haven.
Many times the organizations seek funds for specific projects, Dowley said. The OLYFS sought funds to provide counseling services for families and children in need; the donation to the Thames River Project will use its grant to provide for a “living packet,” the sheets, towels and other items that a woman and her children would need in temporary housing.
Organizations can submit an application any time of the year, she said. The exchange usually awards its grants in May or June. The exchange has awarded up to $4,000 a year; this depends on proceeds made from the shop.
The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm during the summer and until 4 pm starting in September.
On Friday, Dec. 5 the exchange will hold its Christmas boutique at the Saybrook Point Inn, Old Saybrook.