By Deb Jasien, special to The Conway Daily Sun
CONWAY — Nestled in the heart of Mt. Washington Valley, near the White Mountain National Forest is one of the prettiest mountain towns in New England. North Conway is the picture-perfect village where Main Street’s storefront shops exude an old-time charm and has been named one of the Top 10 best small-town main streets in the U.S. We celebrate our good fortune to have over 100 locally owned and operated retail shops, restaurants and services. Our local business owners do what they do because they are passionate about their products and take more time to get to know their customers. They’ll go the extra mile.
Located directly across from our iconic Victorian Railroad Station and Schouler Park is The Beggars Pouch Leather shop. They offer a unique shopping experience in the heart of the Mount Washington Valley. For over 35 years The Beggars Pouch has been making and selling a huge variety of leather goods; from handbags and belts to wallets and carved notebooks and portfolios. The shop also offers a fantastic selection of footwear from Dansko to UGG, Naot, Birkenstock, Taos and more.
In addition to their handmade bags, they also have bags and briefs from Osgoode-Marley, Victoria’s Leather, Le Donne Leathers and Ameribag. Biker jackets, chaps and vests are available in many styles and all sizes. Take a little of this, add a little of that and you end up with a shop full of some pretty neat stuff.
The Beggar’s Pouch, 2653 White Mountain Highway, North Conway; beggarsPouchLeather.com; (603) 356-2807. Open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Soyfire Candle, Bath & Body is a beautiful shop located directly across from Schouler Park. Their scent collections run the gamut from sweet to savory to herbal and romantic and they boast seasonal favorites, so any time of year is a great time to visit.
Quintessential New England scents include their September Special, McIntosh Apple and Fall Harvest, now on sale at 20 percent off. Also arriving: Pumpkin Cheesecake and Toasted Pumpkin Spice from locally made 444 Candle Co. They source their candles from New England and beyond and include Candle Crest, Swan Creek, Wilderness Wicks and Soybean Candle Co. So, if you enjoy scenting your home with some real New England products — this is the place to go. They also carry a diverse collection of bath and body products, including DaBomb, bath bombs with prizes, Dionis hand creams and lip balms, Judakins Bath Bombs, shower steamers, lotions, sugar scrubs, soaps and all-natural goat milk soaps and bug sprays from local maker, Kearsarge Mountain Soap.
Soyfire Candle, 2677 White Mtn Hwy, North Conway. soyfire.com; (603) 356.8969. Open Monday and Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
Fields of Ambrosia is where owner/maker, Deborah Jasien hand crafts all-natural bath and body products right in the store. It all began in her kitchen at Intervale Farm in 1999 as a small venture of making natural soaps and lotions for family and friends and then expanded into aromatherapy products.
She loves the interaction with her customers, telling the back story of each therapeutic line: how and why she chose the essential oils in each blend, the benefits of the oils as well as the raw ingredients used in creating a lotion, soap or a facial cream. In addition to traditional bath and body, she offers a line of N.H.-themed home fragrance products called Seasonal Scents: candles and room sprays, reed diffusers, wax melts and wax sachets featuring the state tree, white birch; state flower, the lilac; state berry, blackberry; and state fruit, pumpkin.
Her line of CBD topicals is especially popular. Fields of Ambrosia launched online in 2001, opened its first retail store in 2007 and continues today to offer plant-based, cleansing, nourishing and therapeutic skin and body care products — beneficial to the body and earth-friendly.
Fields of Ambrosia, 2724 White Mountain Highway, North Conway; fieldsofambrosia.com; (603) 356-3532. Open Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m.
It’s My Girlfriends Consignment Boutique is located in the lobby of the Eastern Slope Inn Resort, North Conway Village.
They are locally owned and operated by Lisa and Lindsay Spadaccini and specialize in current fashion and accessories and gently worn clothing and accessories for both women and men. Boots and Bags. Just in, some fabulous boots. Frye, Piccolino and more. Don’t forget a fun bag. Brighton, Brahmin and Myra.
They also just received new fedora hats, fuzzy fleece plaid pullovers and iridescent puffy vests. INIS body products have been restocked, including the new body scrub and home and linen spray. LivRose and Studio G jewelry, both made in New England, are restocked and ready for fall.
These ladies are really picky about the merchandise they accept and take pride in the quality of the clothing, accessories and footwear they bring in to the boutique. If you like to shop and enjoy finding a bargain, we think you will love this boutique. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
It’s My Girlfriend’s Consignment Boutique in the Eastern Slope Inn, 2760 White Mountain Highway, North Conway; itsmygirlfriends.com. Open Tuesday- Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fields of Ambrosia, SoyFire Candle and It’s My Girlfriends are members of The White Mountain Independents, a local non-profit, representing a thriving community of over 20 local, independent retail businesses in the Mt. Washington Valley communities of Conway, North Conway, Intervale and Jackson.
In addition to shopping, the village has more than a few places not to be missed, including the Historic Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse, home to M&D Productions, a family-owned and run winery, local sporting goods and the Pope Memorial Library. Customers keep returning to our small, local shops because they’re looking for an experience — the more unique, the better — and the outstanding customer service that comes from having the owner of the store on the premises. In our world with its increasing homogenization, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses are preserving their town’s distinctive character, which in turn helps to attract visitors to the area. And now you know a few more reasons why North Conway Village has been named one of the Top 10 best small-town main streets in the U.S.
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