Piper & Chloe is the place to visit when in need of a gift that’s guaranteed to impress. A new addition to the area, owner Tiffany Nicole opened the downtown Newburyport store in late 2016, and Piper & Chloe (the name is a carry-over from a pop-up shop she used to host with her sisters) has quickly made a name for itself thanks to a unique selection of items that will quickly become must-haves on your list.
Among the store’s carefully selected inventory, which includes an assortment of things for women, children and other home and lifestyle items, the shop has exactly what you need as you prepare to take to the open road, skies, or seas with style this summer.
It seems to take us by surprise every year, and somehow Memorial Day weekend is this (yes, this!) weekend. For a lot of people, that means travel, often with children in tow. While you could cram everything into one disorganized bag and hope for the best, you don’t have to. And once you lay eyes on the functional, fashionable travel options Piper & Chloe has to offer, you won’t want to.
The Forestbound Canvas Utility bag is the one bag you need this summer. Constructed of sturdy beige canvas, with leather handles, buckle straps and a water-resistant fiberboard interior bottom panel, it is large enough to serve as a weekend bag or a carry-on piece. The bags comes in several styles and are printed with phrases apt for travel including “Escape” and “Wander.” They’re made in the USA and printed locally in Somerville.
Forestbound Canvas Utility bag
A toiletry bag is something everyone needs while traveling, but it can be difficult to find one that can accommodate everything, so you end up traveling with two (maybe even three) bags or pouches. The Alice Stripes bag comes in a variety of patterns to suit individual styles and is large enough to fit the essentials plus the “I’d love to bring this but have no room for it!” items. The bag is constructed with a vinyl layer between two layers of canvas to guard against spills, is hand printed with non-toxic dyes and features coordinating hand-tied tassels made by a 4th generation tassel-tying family in Rajasthan. It is machine washable (simply tuck those tassels inside the bag before putting in the wash).
Alice Stripes toiletry bag
A (portable, easy to toss in your bag) candle is a great way to warm up the atmosphere of any destination. The shop stocks tin candles from the Axiom collection, which are available in a flat disc shape, free of glass and come in scents including Cedar & Citron (an aroma sure to please even the most sensitive travel companion). Despite their compact size, each candle has a burn time of 20 hours and a screw top lid.
Axiom candle in Cedar & Citron
Whether you find yourself at a beach bonfire or roasting marshmallows by the campfire, the Muskoka throw by Pehr is a 100 percent cotton flannel blanket perfect for keeping warm on chilly nights.
Pehr Muskoka throw
Tiny travel companions will love the charm of this flash zoom wooden camera. This handcrafted toy is the perfect way to let a child’s imagination run wild this summer. Each camera comes with a leather neck strap and magnetic flash and zoom parts that kids will love interchanging as they play photographer.
Wooden camera
None of these things will eliminate the time you’ll spend getting to your destination (we’re still waiting on time travel to take care of that) but they will make packing easy and dare I say fun, which counts for a lot in my book. Stop in before heading out on your next adventure.
