SWAMPSCOTT — After just two months in business, Kacy Jauron-Rogers’ Coastal Collective store — an art gallery and marketplace for local vendors and artisans — has become a one-stop shop for all things Swampscott.
Jauron-Rogers, who serves as president of the Jauron Family Foundation, was looking for a new office space for the foundation when she spotted the 434 Humphrey St. location that is now home to Coastal Collective.
When she learned the space was zoned for commercial use, Jauron-Rogers decided to create a business where local vendors and artists could use dedicated wall or shelf space to sell their products.
“I literally woke up one night in the middle of the night and I thought ‘Oh my gosh, what am I thinking? My friend Terry makes beautiful pottery, my friend Melissa makes amazing jewelry, my friend Aparna makes block-printed textiles — I could probably curate an indoor farmers market for people who already have the products and just need a place to sell them,’” Jauron-Rogers said.
Those walking along Humphrey Street can now pop into Coastal Collective, admire the paintings, and browse a number of products such as handmade jewelry, candles, postcards, or nautical-themed wood quilts from Swampscott artist Nate Fontes-Fried.
“The amount of people that I know in the town or who grew up in town or have children in the schools, people will just walk around the store and they’ll say ‘Oh, this is Sandra’s stuff,’ or ‘This is Terry.’ All the time, I see people recognize their neighbors’ work and it’s just really fun,” Jauron-Rogers said.
Jauron-Rogers said many of the town’s artists only work on their crafts part-time, and often struggle to find a place to share their work. Coastal Collective, she said, is a place for part-time local artists to display their creations.
“This is their creative outlet — it’s their break from their kids, their break from carpools. It’s something that they’re doing for themselves, so I think it’s really cool to have a space where somebody can show me something interesting and I can say ‘Sure, I’ll find a space for it,’” Jauron-Rogers said.
Although Coastal Collective features an array of products in a variety of styles, the store centers around coastal themes that vary from season to season. The last exhibit was “Coastal Blues,” which featured artwork depicting the color blue to evoke tranquility. Later exhibits, which will cycle with every season, will include “Coastal Whites” in the winter, “Coastal Greens” in the spring, and “Coastal Yellows” in the summer.
On Dec. 5, Coastal Collective will unveil its “Coastal Whites” exhibit. That day, it will host a “Sip, Shop, and Stroll” event in partnership with the Swampscott Yacht Club. Proceeds from raffles and other event activities will support the Clarke, Hadley, and Stanley schools’ parent-teacher organizations.
With the Saturday following Thanksgiving now known as Small Business Saturday, Jauron-Rogers said she hopes people in the area will shop local this holiday season.
“Keep in mind that there are so many talented people in this town. You can commissioned artwork, you can have them specially make you jewelry, people do so many different things in Swampscott. Your holiday gifts don’t necessarily need to come from another part of the country, they can come from here,” Jauron-Rogers said.
