HOULTON, MAINE — Two Aroostook County women, who lost their jobs in December after the closure of the gift shop where they had worked for more than a decade, have decided to create their own space.
On Monday, Diane Pryor Winship and Shannon Cibic opened their pocket-sized shop, Bittersweet Thyme, next to Lisa’s Hair Designs on Main Street in Houlton.
While working at the now-closed Country North Gifts on Market Square, the women grew to know their customers over the years and built lasting relationships with locals and tourists who would pop in each summer to say, “Oh girls, I’m back.”
“Working there was something we just loved to do,” Pryor Winship said. “We both love to decorate. And we have a clientele.”
Country North Gifts had been in the community since 1987, and its closing left a hole in the small northern Maine town, leaving few options for buying unique offerings such as candles, innovative and rustic home decor, jewelry, purses, soaps, lotions, dried flowers and garden-themed gifts.
“When Country North was closing, so many customers came in concerned about where they were going to go for their home decor needs,” Diane said. “We felt there was still a need and a desire for a place like this in downtown Houlton.”
On Monday and Tuesday, a steady stream of well-wishers with bouquets of fresh flowers and tons of over-the-counter hugs filled the intimate and yummy-smelling shop.
In late February, a little by chance, the friends decided to open Bittersweet Thyme in the 192-square-foot space.
“We had all these women we knew, and we know what the women want,” Pryor Winship said on Tuesday at the shop.
A shopper chimed in, “Oh, yes they do.”
Pryor Winship was actually getting her hair done at Lisa’s when the new business began to take shape.
“They said, ‘Hey we’ve got a room out back you could use. It’s small but do you want to look at it?’” she said.
Initially, she declined, but once she saw the space, she said, “I think I can make this work.”
Before long, the two women got their business licenses and were ordering all the items they knew shoppers would love.
The shop’s name is personal.
Shannon grows the bittersweet vine that blooms orange and yellow berries in the fall, and thyme is an herb and seemed to fit what they wanted, Pryor Winship said.
Their goal is to supply a space for the community to find affordable gifts and home items. On Tuesday, their spot was buzzing with friends and visitors browsing a wide array of options, from tiny bird sculptures to women’s handbags, earrings and scented wax melts.
Many marveled at how much they’d fit into the small space.
“Some things are meant to be,” Pryor Winship said. “We just pulled together and here we are.”
