CARIBOU, Maine – Longtime Caribou business owners will be retiring after over two decades of showcasing the best of county crafters.
Natalie Ireland became well known around local craft fairs for her handmade wreaths, and in the early 2000s more people wanted to know how they could purchase one outside of the fairs.
“I realized I needed a shop,” Ireland said.
So in 2002, she opened Wreaths By Natalie at 988 Presque Isle Road. Eventually, Ireland expanded into a consignment shop, which offered other crafters a chance to sell their work.
Today, the shop sells work from 50 crafters, but Ireland and her husband Paul will be closing the doors after Sept. 21 to start their next chapter in life.
The couple have four children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom live downstate. With the shop being a full-time job, they have not had as many chances to visit family.
“We plan to stay [in Aroostook] but want to travel more and see the kids,” Ireland said. “One of the great-grandsons is in Florida and we haven’t met him yet.”
Over the years, the business grew so much that the Irelands moved to Westmanland 15 years ago to make more room for the shop at their Caribou property. They are selling the Caribou building but not the craft shop.
“With a consignment shop, you have to have relationships with other crafters, so it might be a hard sell for someone who doesn’t have those connections,” Ireland said.
In the meantime, Ireland will continue taking orders for wreaths until she runs out of materials, and say goodbye to customers who stop in one last time.
The shop has become a staple for locals and regular visitors, including Gary Hamilton and Fran Casey of Augusta.
On Friday, the couple chatted with the Irelands and perused the remaining wooden signs, embroidered cloths, gnomes, calendars and other crafts.
“I’m going to miss Natalie and Paul [and] all the unique things you can find for gifts,” said Casey, who is originally from Fort Fairfield. “There’s not really another place like this.”
