Influencer: Mary MacGill

Your shop is near the idyllic path to Crescent Beach. How did this specific location come to be and what did you need to do to make the space your own?

I had just opened my first store in upstate New York and was not in any way looking to open another location when my dear friend and real estate agent, Julie Kiley, called me up and said “I have the perfect spot for you.” I agreed to take a look, and then fell in love with the space immediately. It’s tiny, so it felt very manageable to staff and provided some welcome constraints when planning how to merchandise. That being said, we put a lot of work into cleaning the space up for our first season. I commissioned local woodworker, Chris Phelan to make all of our display furniture and found two beautiful pieces of driftwood to use as our clothing racks. The space has minor notes of European beach style, but really allows for the jewelry, artwork, and clothing to tell the story of our brand.

You are celebrating your sixth summer on the island. Any trends in clientele?

The mother-daughter relationships are very strong out here and it’s wonderful to witness. I’ve found that both mothers and daughters introduce each other to our brand and continue to collect jewelry and clothing year after year – often times trading. I get to see this at play when I go out to dinner and servers and diners are both wearing earrings from us, or talk to real estate agents, and those renting houses here for the week, and both are wearing clothing from us. It’s about communicating a love for this place, something apparent in all of our lives.

The beauty of your jewelry is in the simplicity of the settings, keeping the focus on the natural elements. What are your favorite pieces to make?

My favorite pieces to make at the moment (it changes often) are the cascade earrings. I get to play with the full array of our stone collection and come up with compositions that tell a small story or poem. I started setting Block Island beach stones in our 14k floating setting a few years ago as mementos; I love the way yellow gold contrasts with black stones, and brings out the vibrant greens and reds in others.

What are some of your go-to spots and small businesses on BI?

Glass Onion, Lazy Fish, Tori Jones Studio, and Studio DWC for homewares, the Mutt Hut to treat my gals, Persephone’s or the Bagel Shop for breakfast, Los Gatitos for lunch, Winfield’s or Eli’s for dinner. The Farmer’s Market every Wednesday and Saturday mornings at Legion Park.

Describe the feeling you get when you first open the doors for the season, and also when you lock-up until the next year.

I love setting up the shop at the beginning of the season. Spring/Summer lines are always so much fun and it’s a pleasure to merchandise alongside the artists we represent and create vignettes. I always feel a little sad locking up as I know I’ll miss looking out the window and talking to all our incredible summer clients, but then I remember we all need to rest! Learn more at MaryMacGill.com, 64 1/2 Dodge Street, New Shoreham