Approaching 10 months in business, Coastal Collective has established itself as a one-stop shop for all things Swampscott.
The ocean-side art gallery and marketplace came to be when founder Kacy Jauron-Rogers was searching for a new headquarters for her family’s nonprofit organization, the Jauron Family Foundation Inc. Her father, Dick Jauron, had a storied career in the NFL as a player and coach that spanned across four decades. Swampscott residents may especially remember him as the head coach of the Patriots’ division rival Buffalo Bills from 2006 to 2009.
When Jauron-Rogers learned the space was zoned for commercial use only, Jauron-Rogers decided to create a business where local vendors and artists could use dedicated wall and shelf space to sell their products.
“I literally woke up one night in the middle of the night and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I thinking? My friend Terry makes beautiful pottery, my friend Melissa makes amazing jewelry, my friend Aparna makes block-printed textiles — I could probably curate an indoor farmers market for people who already have the products and just need a place to sell them,’” Jauron-Rogers said.
The store’s roster of products includes paintings, handmade jewelry, postcards, candles, and
nautical-themed wood quilts from Swampscott artist Nate Fontes-Fried.
Jauron-Rogers describes her store as an ideal place for part-time local artists to display their creations.
“This is their creative outlet — it’s their break from their kids, their break from carpools. It’s something that they’re doing for themselves, so I think it’s really cool to have a space where somebody can show me something interesting and I can say ‘Sure, I’ll find a space for it,’”
Jauron-Rogers said.
The store features a different coastal theme each season, with winter’s “Coastal Whites” debuting last December. “Coastal Greens” and “Coastal Yellows” are slated to follow suit in the spring and summer, respectively. The store’s fall exhibit, “Coastal Blues,” was its inaugural theme when it opened last fall.
Jauron-Rogers said the community component of Coastal Collective is on display when visitors recognize other people’s creations.
“The amount of people that I know in the town or who grew up in town or have children in the schools, people will just walk around the store and they’ll say, ‘Oh, this is Sandra’s stuff,’ or ‘This is Terry.’ All the time, I see people recognize their neighbors’ work and it’s just really fun,”
Jauron-Rogers said.
