What's New & Happening
Creativity Abounds
It takes a certain blend of talents to run a successful business for a quarter century. Don Freedman—artist, designer, sculptor, and entrepreneur—has run Expressions of Don Freedman on Nantucket Island for the past 28 years.
His spacious shop on Centre Street is filled with colorful home accessories, tapestries, elegant marble and alabaster sculpture, whimsical wood carvings, bangles, stunning clocks of a variety of sizes and designs, inlaid frames, marine paintings, gentleman’s appointments, and a plethora of interesting home accents.
Freedman attributes his success to listening to what the customers like and what they don’t like: “We change with the taste and times of the people and stay aware of the customer’s point of view. I’m here to help people choose what might fit their styles.”
Because he continually changes the look of the shop and brings in new and unique items he acquires during his extensive travels, the store stays intriguing. “We’ve been here for years with innovative, unique, and creative designs...we’ve got that reputation...so 70 to 80 percent of our customers return to see what is exciting this year.”
Freedman takes pride in offering his customers “expensive-looking pieces that are not expensive...many tell me that the shop looks like a museum gallery.”
Remaining creative, taking care of customers, and constantly changing, he says, makes him feel “rewarded, contented, pleased.”
“We have so many things to be thankful for. This holiday season, we should spread honest, good cheer...think of all the good things we have, and we have so many! Nantucket is a wonderful place with wonderful people. I count my blessings every day...the fact that I’m 72 and still creative.”
And Freedman has a creative new way to share his celebration with his customers. Through the holiday season, he will showcase “Christmas Giveaways” in his Centre Street shop: items he describes as being offered “at unbelieveable prices.”
Sweeten Your Holiday
Looking for an irresistible stocking stuffer? Perhaps you want to add extra cheer to a friend’s holiday with a wrapped box of something sweet?
The Sweet Inspirations Artisan Kitchen has created a magnificent variety of new truffles, confections, and holiday favorites that will put smiles on the faces of everyone receiving them!
Stop in before Thanksgiving for their limited edition Thanksgiving Truffles. These luscious truffles have whipped chocolate ganache centers enrobed in dark chocolate and are shaped like turkeys.
The luxurious selection of truffles, made fresh daily for the holiday season, include: Swedish Glogg, Egg Nog, Creme Bruleé, Cranberry Cheescake (a perennial favorite!), Mexican Coffee Smoothie, Latte Creme Smoothie, Mochaccinno Smoothie, Cranberry-and Cream Smoothie, Candy Cane Mint Smoothie, and a Coconut-Rum “Snowball” Truffle. Also made fresh and ready to add to your holiday fun are Candy Cane Mint Barks and Nantucket Nugget Barks with almonds and dried sweetened cranberries (both available in dark, milk, and white chocolate), Marizpan Balls, triple-dipped pretzels, and Oreos dipped in imported Belgian chocolate and iced with holiday adornments.
Candy Cane Mint Coco Kits make the perfect holiday hostess gift. Tucked inside the beribboned boxes are rich, old-fashioned cocoa mix, crushed peppermint sticks, and Belgian chocolate sprinkles.
Whether you stop in for bags of classic candies for stocking stuffers, such as chocolate covered cranberries, mint lentils, or licorice, just to name a few, or if you’re shopping for a custom-selected assortments of freshly made truffles, Sweet Inspirations at 26 Centre Street is the place you want to go. The Sweet Inspirations “elves” are happy to ship their sweets anywhere in the world.
Gems Among Gems
The Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum and Mill Hill Press are coming to Main Street for Christmas Stroll! Trianon/Seaman Schepps, jeweler of timeless elegance who has been the subject of museum exhibitions in the US and Europe and who is located on Nantucket at 47 Main Street, is generously sharing part of their retail space to this island museum and this publisher of distinctive Nantucket books on Friday December 4 and Saturday December 5.
All of Mill Hill’s titles will be available for purchase, as well as unique items from the Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum’s gift shop. Featured items included signed copies of Nat Philbrick’s Away Off Shore, and Marshall: A Sea Rescue from the Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum. Also available will be Rodney Charman’s prints of historic Nantucket scenes, which are available framed, unframed, or signed.
Browse among gems of Nantucket history alongside the stunning gems of Trianon/Seaman Schepps...what a magical way to spend Christmas Stroll on Nantucket!
Giving Back
The holiday season is a time of giving, and of giving back! With that in mind, Think Local First! and the Rotary Club of Nantucket have organized “Nantucket Gives Back to Merchants Day.” Set for Saturday, December 19, this event is designed for all who have benefitted from island merchants donating to island causes to “give back” by patronizing those merchants during this holiday shopping season.
Activities and entertainment are planned throughout the day to make the event more festive. Those who want to register as being affiliated with a local non-profit organization can go to Bayberry Court, mid-island, to register.
Santa will make several appearances across the island. At 11 am, he’ll be in the Marine Design Center, at Bayberry Court; at 11:30 am, Santa will visit with the pet set at Geronimos, 119 Pleasant Street; at noon, he’ll be at Spirit of Toys. In the afternoon, Santa travel into town to visit with folks on Main Street until about 2 pm.
The Accidentals and the Naturals will perform live between 10 and 10:30 am at Bayberry Court, and at 11:00 am, the Accidentals and the Naturals will performing at the Nantucket Atheneum at 1 India Street. Carolers will also entertain at Bayberry Court between 10 am and 12 noon, and in downtown Nantucket between noon and 2 pm.
Between 10 am and 5 pm, a Hospitality Center will be manned at Marine Design Center at Bayberry Court and at 51 Main Street, where participants may register their affiliation with a particular non-profit, pick up maps, and get their receipts tallied. The non-profit organization associated with the highest receipts attributed to them will win a $500 donation from Think Local First! and the Nantucket Rotary Club.
