Sea Glass Accessories
One of my great joys finding a new place to sell my sea glass jewelry and hair accessories. Recently, I set up “shop” on Bear Skin Neck in Rockport at Alexander’s Pottery.
Lisa Gove, the owner has a fun story to tell about the history of the shop and her five year journey into retail.
Tell us about how you got into this business & why (your passion)? Also, a little about the history of the shop?
The shop has been around since early 1960’s. Originally it was an outlet for Bennington Pottery owned and operated by the Alexander family. I am the third owner and took it over from the Meringers.
I had no background in retail, but I was a new transplant to Cape Ann, and my children were in college. I was looking for a way to find roots in the community. Since I love shopping and am lovingly called a “shopaholic” by my closest friends, I thought I would try my hand at retail Initially, I purchased the House of Glass and Happy Whale – which came as a package. When it came time for the Meringers to completely retire, they approached me to buy Alexander’s. It was unexpected and exciting.
What did you do to enter into a totally new field like retail?
The first thing I did was get in touch with Center for Women in Enterprise and attended all their seminars related to owning a retail business – retail merchandise, small biz accounting, employment, etc. It was a total immersion. I am a member of the Small Business Association and through the SBA I was able to do a SCORE mentorship. This was a very positive experience and I had mentors that were mostly locals of Cape Ann – in business or retired from certain sectors – banking, insurance, legal, etc… The SCORE meetings were all held in Rockport. From that experience, I recall people like Leo Bergeron from the Cape Ann Savings Bank being particularly helpful. My predecessors Jane and Dick Meringer were/are wonderful mentors as were local shop owners, Rusty and Ingrid who I connected with through SCORE.
What makes this shop special and how have you chosen the items in your shop? What do people LOVE to buy there?
Alexanders is the only true pottery shop in Rockport. When I took over the business, the first thing I did was edit the collections and in particular the gifts and accessories to bring Alexanders back to the way it started – with a more pottery centric focus.
The way I choose the products lends to their natural appeal as handmade pieces. We have a wide assortment of potters, from very local (Cynthia Curtis from Pigeon Cove), to Bozeman, Montana. I try to bring in potters that have specialized techniques whether it be the glaze, clay body, or form. Our customers are seeking handmade, unique pieces and they appreciate the love and experience that goes into them.
Beyond the pottery, I work with other artisans that make jewelry, home décor, and holiday ornaments. I try to include items that I believe the Alexander’s customer would like to buy for themselves and others.
What is the “vibe” of your shop gallery? Typical customer?
My customers are people that really like to take time to look. They are not fast shoppers! They want to take it all in, they like to touch
the pieces and hear about the artists.
The shop layout is intentional; you can see and understand what we sell immediately. It’s set up so that the customer can savor the pieces and have an immersive, hands-on experience. It’s not a gallery with pieces behind glass. Overall, it’s calm and elevated.
What is your favorite event/special night that everyone should know about in your area?
My personal favorite is Rockport Illuminations night which falls on August 8th this summer. It’s a totally unexpected and magical evening. All the shops put out lanterns and the town has an amazing fireworks display. It’s so much fun and relatively unknown compared to all the other summer events – but it’s truly one of the best.
What would you love to see change in the world of shopping?
I would like to see a resurgence of “Main Street.” We’re losing the mentality to “go downtown.” Too many small shops have closed, and big box stores have taken over. I enjoy the search for the “perfect” gift, I enjoy the familiarity of the “local” shop, and I don’t believe I’m the only one
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet and visit the studio of a fabulous artist relatively new to Cape Ann, but whose inspiration and interests align perfectly with our love of the sea, the water, and art! The overall name for this project is the TideKeepers. Below is my interview with the founder and artist Elisa Vanelli.
What is The TideKeepers Project and what is your role?
The TideKeepers Project is a public art initiative created to reconnect people with the ocean, the tides, and the natural rhythms of the coastline through permanent tide interactive sculptures installed throughout Cape Ann. Each sculpture is envisioned as a unique guardian of its location, designed to interact directly with the movement of the tide and the surrounding environment.
I am the founder of The TideKeepers Foundation and the artist behind the project. My role includes designing and sculpting the artworks, leading the creative vision, coordinating fundraising efforts, working with engineers, foundries, and town officials, and helping guide the project from concept to permanent installation. Along the way, I have also had the privilege of connecting with many people in the community who have helped support and shape the project through their encouragement, partnerships, and shared belief in the vision.
What is the inspiration behind the project and the statue? Does anything like this exist elsewhere?
The inspiration for Atlantis came from a dream. In the vision, I saw a mermaid revealed by the receding tide and partially
covered again by the rising water, almost as if the ocean itself was breathing life into the sculpture. That vision naturally led me to the larger idea behind The TideKeepers Project: that each coastal town deserves its own guardian connected to the sea, its stories, and its identity.
I wanted to celebrate the mythology, wonder, and deep connection that coastal communities have always shared with the ocean. So much of the magic, history, and mystery tied to the sea has faded over time, and this project is about bringing some of that sense of wonder back through public art and interaction with the tides themselves.
Atlantis is designed to only be fully revealed at low tide and become partially covered again at high tide, creating a constantly changing relationship between the artwork, the ocean, and the viewer. The sculpture becomes part of the rhythm of the harbor itself.
The larger vision behind The TideKeepers Project is to create a trail of unique tide interactive sculptures throughout Cape Ann, each connected to the identity and environment of its location.
There are a few tide responsive public artworks in the world, including sculptures along the River Thames in London that interact with the changing tide. What makes The TideKeepers Project unique is the larger vision behind it: creating living coastal guardians that interact with nature, storytelling, community identity, and the changing rhythm of the ocean. Atlantis is envisioned as the first sculpture in a larger series that transforms the coastline into an experiential public art trail unlike anything else.
What is the current state of the sculpture in the artistic process?
Atlantis is currently in the bronze casting process. The original clay sculpture has already gone through the molding stage, and we are now moving through the wax and casting phases at the foundry.
The sculpture itself has been fully sculpted, and half of the bronze process has already been secured thanks to community fundraising and support.
At the same time, we are continuing to work through the engineering and permitting process so Atlantis can safely and responsibly become a permanent part of the waterfront.
What are the key next steps for Atlantis to come to life?
The next major steps include completing the bronze casting process and final engineering and structural planning connected to the harbor installation.
We are coordinating with engineers, the Town of Manchester by the Sea, and local partners to help bring Atlantis from vision to permanent installation.
How can people get involved and what kind of help is needed?
People can support the project in many different ways, and community involvement has already been a huge part of bringing Atlantis this far.
Right now, the project especially benefits from:
• Donations toward bronze casting, engineering, and installation costs
• Introductions to sponsors, donors, and coastal organizations
• Media and press support to help spread awareness
• Community advocates who believe in public art, environmental connection, and cultural tourism
• Partnerships with local businesses and organizations
• Volunteers who want to dedicate their time, energy, and skills to helping The TideKeepers Project grow and become a reality
To find out more and get involved, please contact Elisa here.
To be juried in – or not to be? A question for all artists.
Since evolving my nearly 25-year artistic journey, I’ve had mixed experiences with juries. Probably in 75% of the cases, the calls were oversubscribed and my work was measured against a huge number of fabulous artists. But one truly never knows. It can be discouraging and yes, it stings – but it’s hard to know what really happened behind the scenes. You can ask yourself a million questions – was the work not good enough? Did I miss the mark on the theme? Did they not really want jewelry? And so on.
I’ve disciplined myself to follow the guidelines which often are meant for a wide range of media. With the type of work I do, it’s particularly challenging to do so. I purposely limit myself to using sea glass and have primarily made jewelry, hair accessories, and garden pieces. I always make NEW work for the entries when required. The result of this has been to stretch my limits and alas, new collections have been born. So, this is the SILVER LINING!
One of the first-borns of this process was the Anchor Collection. This evolved out of a local call to artists for the theme H2O. It’s become one of my favorites and a top seller! The inspiration came directly from staring at old mushroom anchors we threw in to the garden. More importantly, it allowed me to use my half-bottlenecks – a really funky sea glass shard that was bothering me.
Most recently I entered the call for “Rhythm and Rhyme” and I’ve been hiding these new pieces which I had hoped to show with a musical score behind them. Alas, my work was not chosen. Nonetheless, I’m particularly proud of this new style of earrings and interpretation with pendants and brooches. I thought I would share the inspiration for the collection exactly as I submitted it as I am hoping that it will be meaningful to those who know my work.
“The words of Tapestry have always inspired me since I first heard the song in high school. Indeed, my life’s journey has been full of ‘rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view.’ A major transformation was moving to Gloucester and returning to my creative side inspired by the man I met the day I moved here – my husband. His unabashed piano playing by ear stripped away any psychological barriers I had to try my hand at designing. At first, it was simply making sea glass hair accessories at the kitchen table while listening to him jam to the stereo. What unfolded was truly a tapestry of sea glass designs. Now, with my own studio, I prefer to work in the evenings to all my favorite tunes on the radio.
The work I am submitting is completely new and designed for this show using exclusively authentic sea glass from my collection. It’s a whimsical fusion of the literal and conceptual ideas behind Rhythm & Rhyme. The initial piece in the collection, a brooch naturally took on the shape of a treble clef, so then I set out to make its companion bass clef which came to life as a pendant and a few notes in the form of earrings. Enjoy the Tapestry collection!”
I am hoping that my clients will enjoy this new look so I can expand this into a new collection. I am going to call them “sea notes” for the time being and see how they fare in the upcoming Open Studios and other planned events. My pragmatic approach to making jewelry has been to grow with the “people’s choice” and not to overthink rejection from juries clouded in mystery. Let’s hope that sea notes find a home in your jewelry collection! Take a look and let me know what you think!
After a brief hiatus after the closing of London Ventures and a fun year with Gallery Number One – I am now pleased to announce a new location to find Cape Ann Designs in Rockport. Many thanks to Pat and Lisa for giving the sea glass hair accessories and jewelry
a new home up front and center at Alexander’s Pottery!
