Looking for something out of the ordinary? Something that was once a treasure to someone and can now be yours?
Jenny Amy (Chantry Breezes B&B) and Liz Hawthorne feel the same and, now, they have opened the pop-up “A Little of This and That’ in the former Vincent Jewelers in Southampton. 
(L) Liz Hawthorne and Jenny Amy (R) ready for ‘A Little of This and That’
“A Little of This and That” is filled with items that are not only “rustic, elegant, whimsical and practical”, but are unique and well-loved. The shop includes up-cycled furniture, quilts, beautiful scarves and, antique home items just in time for Christmas. These are items you will find nowhere else … elegant chairs, a rustic cradle perfect to sit beside a fireplace for wood, original prints and quirky little pieces ideal for someone’s Christmas stocking.
The store will be open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. now to the end of December (and who knows, perhaps beyond).
The idea of Pop-ups began with many small towns experiencing a downturn and the attempt at revitalization. City staffs, civic groups and communities began to work with property owners to accommodate pop-up businesses to avoid empty storefronts that only exacerbate the problem of a ‘dying facade’ for a small downtown.
Any leftover empty space can feature passive attractions by local artists or student projects from nearby schools. While some existing businesses may feel uneasy at first about the new competition, the increased traffic downtown will benefit all—potentially leading to new private investment and new longer term tenants.
“We are excited about the idea of not only creating something new in our downtown Southampton,” says Amy, “but also the fact that it takes away from one more vacant building facade on our main street. Liz is truly an artist and has really created and revitalized furnishings and many other things. With a completely accessible entrance, we hope everyone will drop in over the next month to see the beautiful treasures that have been collected. And we want to thank Vincent Jewelers owners, Carol and Walter MacKowski for having the vision to see that having displays once again in their windows and having their building occupied adds to our downtown vitality.”
