When Bag Lady and Shopping Siren think of Ogunquit, we think of summer. Sun. Sand. Shopping. Tourists who don’t know where they’re going and clog up Route 1 trying to get there.
The tourists are gone now, flown home to places where they don’t have to watch out for moose on their commutes. But we’re sure the picturesque little town still has sun and sand. And we know it still has shopping.
You don’t even have to brave Route 1 — as uncongested as it may be in January — to partake.
In part two of our three-part southern Maine virtual road trip, we hit up Ogunquit and its abundance of adorable speciality shops. Turns out the shops are just as adorable online.
And parking is free.
* Bowl of ocean, Swamp John’s, $38
You hear “Swamp John’s” and picture an eBay store run out of a guy’s basement. Not so for this Swamp John’s, an upscale fine art jewelry and hand-blown glass shop located in the Perkin’s Cove area of Ogunquit. Go figure! This little pewter dish comes with tiny shells, starfish, pieces of sea glass, sand and a spoon engraved with “Bowl of ocean.” The site offers it as an alternative to a desk-sized zen rock garden. We say it’s a great way to remind yourself that Maine has more than snow.
* Glass wave ornament, Swamp John’s, $26
Hand-blown glass ornament about 3½ inches in diameter. The ornament itself is bulb-shaped. It’s the swirl of color inside that looks like a wave crashing. Sure, you just took down your ornaments, but we see this as a kind of sun catcher. A bulb-shaped sun catcher. Ornament. Just trust us, you’ll like it.
* Dog biscuits, Bread & Roses Bakery, 13 count, $5.50
According to its website, Bread & Roses is closed for the winter, but you can still order some items online — including a baker’s dozen of handmade, all-natural dog treats baked by an actual baker who normally specializes in sour cream coffee cake, Portuguese sweet bread and mocha mousse tortes. We don’t know for sure, not being dogs and all, but we have a feeling these biscuits are pretty good.
* Crinkle scarf, The Lazy Daisy, $28
Lightweight crinkly scarf (think pre-wrinkled, but in a good way) in pink, light blue, lavender and coral. Spring is just around the corner! OK, it’s not, but we like to think positive.
* Starfish bracelet, The Lazy Daisy, $16
Magnetic clasp bracelet with tiny starfish interspersed with tiny, light-green circles. Delicate and elegant, and made of rhodium, which is a silvery-white metal that’s part of the platinum family. We totally knew that.
* Ruffle wrap, The Lazy Daisy, $38
Acrylic wrap with a wave of ruffles down the side. In blue, ivory or black. Wraps are in this season! We’re less sure about ruffles.
Best find: Cinnamon butter puffs, Bread & Roses Bakery, $12.75/half dozen
Cinnamon muffins dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Really. We have nothing more to add.
Think twice: Glass octopus salt and pepper shaker, Swamp John’s, $106
Yes, $106. The decimal point isn’t missing. This is hand-blown glass, sure, and we’re certain it was handcrafted with care. And, um, octopus love. But it looks a little like a spider alien holding up a salt shaker. A $106 spider alien. We adore Ogunquit’s speciality shops, but this is just a little too speciality for us. Plus, you don’t need salt or pepper for cinnamon butter puffs.
Shopping Siren’s true identity is protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who would like both the dog treats and the cinnamon butter puffs, thank you) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach her at shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.
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