By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,258)
Shopping for the very youngest on your list just got so much easier than it ever was before. That’s because Starry Eyes, a boutique for babies and up – to 3 years for clothing and 6 years for toys- opened last week at 76 Washington Avenue. Stock is composed mostly of unique selections of organic, handmade, “preloved” clothing and toys beautifully displayed on new shelving mounted on the walls of the bright boutique interior. In the center, is a small table equipped with crayons and paper to occupy children while moms shop for them. It’s a delightful and unpretentious place to shop.
“I wanted to create a place for parents to find interesting and unique toys and clothes. It’s an alternative to the resale shops that sell a lot of plastic toys. I sell organic and handmade clothing and gifts,” said Samara Kupferberg, Starry Eyes proprietor. Kupferberg sells mostly used, quality brands of clothes and vintage clothes she has gathered from other families. She also has a few gently used items that Mercury, her son, has outgrown on the small hangers below the shelving built by her father-in-law, a semi-retired employee of the iconic Sabre Yachts, Casco.
Still building her stock, Kupferberg, a fiber artist with a BFA, has organic wool and cotton clothing from Germany and New Zealand ordered for holiday shopping by her customers. The two countries are known for their organic clothes and she hopes they will become popular here as well.
Kupferberg is originally from New York City where she founded and managed The Painted Cloud (www.thepaintedcloud.com) a childrens‘ art studio. The art studio is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is an after school program for children between 4 and 7 years old. Her business partner would pick the children up at school and transport them by bus to the studio. There the children would be shown the art work of famous artists and hopefully they’d be inspired to create their own pieces of art work. Kupferberg plans on introducing similar art projects sometime in the future.
The inspiration for her shop name came from a recording made by Roky Erickson back in 1975 – Starry Eyes. “I looked into the starry eyes of Mercury. They are such bright eyes that are always searching and inquisitive.”
“Brendan and I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect space. We love this space,” said Kupferberg. Brendan Evans is her husband and the owner of Strange Maine, 578 Congress Street.
Starry Eyes is open Thursday – Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. For more information, please email littlestarryeyes@gmail.com