We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Like so many others, the catalyst that led to Trove was the 2020 Covid outbreak. My career as a massage therapist had ground to a halt in the midst of isolation, and any new career path seemed especially daunting. If anything was going to work at that point, it had to be something that I was deeply passionate about. Having visited art fairs all over the state of Maine, I had the idea of curating my own showcase for the state’s many talented artisans. Luckily, the opportunity arose to open a shop and gallery in a historic, seaside coastal town right, on Route 1 in Maine, and the dream of Trove was born.

I’d planned out my future, wrote up my business plan, built out my space, and sourced the equipments to put up the art the way it deserved to be displayed. Even still, the pandemic created unique roadblocks: with no open shops or studios, I still had to curate my shop. In 2020, there were no opportunities to go on a routine tour to scout, meet, and recruit these makers. I had to ask these artist to trust me, an excited new business owner, in the midst of fighting to keep their field alive, With the art world on standby, I cold-called artists all over the state. I reached out, laid out my proposal, and had to ask my new partners to trust me.

3 summers later, Trove holds a known-reputation as a sought-after home for up to 65 highly-regarded Maine artists. Artists know that they will be displayed with the highest level of care and attention next to other contemporary artisans and functional hand craft goods. We have now hosted 9 art shows in our gallery, and have collaborated with our neighbors in Searsport to create the town’s first art walk this summer. Trove is now a part of the same art world that I fell in love with over my many years in this state.

Laura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Trove is a locally owned artisan boutique located in the coastal town of Searsport, Maine. Inspired by the artistry and beauty of our state, Trove features a carefully curated collection of one of a kind contemporary and functional handcrafted goods. Our mission is to elevate the perception of these goods in the retail marketplace by showcasing the best work of artists and designers who create with the highest standard of quality.

The goods that carefully and thoughtfully display in Trove are meant to be used in many facets your day-to-day life. From dishes to textiles, hand axes to fine art, and baby booties to fine locally-crafted jewelry: our vision is a singular store in which customers can explore this collection of pieces that we hope will become well-loved heirloom pieces.

We are incredibly proud of what we’ve curated, and the relationships we’ve built with both our clientele and our artists. Trove’s goal is to bring together the world of art and artisan goods with that of anyone who steps in to our store.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Knowledge of your artists’ process, from medium to message.

Our staff prides itself on making a concerted effort to build a deep knowledge about every element of our pieces. We can answer any questions about our products, and happily share with our clientele how each piece was crafted, the sourcing of our raw materials, and the story of our artists and their message. This connects the pieces to the makers – that way, when our customers walk out with a piece, they walk out with more than just an artist card. They leave with the story of their new piece, the artist who made it, and the knowledge that their purchase is directly supporting the artistic community of our state. By linking the art to the artist, the customer is then connected to the world that they have just patronized. Like buying your produce at a farmers market, there is a real sense of community that Trove is lucky to be at the center of – we have found our clientele is excited to join us as well.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

We take our responsibility to our artists very seriously – and it shows.

My artists know I will go the extra mile to move their pieces. Taking the time to study the artists’ message and their work, creating rotating spotlights on different artists, gallery-level curation of pieces from paintings to pottery – I’ve even driven 4 hours to hand-deliver an oil painting that I ensured would arrive in perfect condition. If an artist has an exhibition, I will raise awareness from social-media to local papers – even mixing my own sangria for customers to celebrate an art show highlighting some of our vendors (come visit the store for the recipe). It requires some extra-curricular legwork, but it always pays off when I’m able to report any positive sales to our vendors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trovemaine.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trove.maine?igsh=Nnp3cmtkazEwaHdw&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Some images: photographybychloem. (Instagram) Others by Laura Brown