Helping creators seize the day is the inspiration behind one of Presque Isle’s newest storefronts.
Someday Comes, an artist co-op, is the brainchild of founders Tiffany Frederickson Plourde, a surgeon at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle, and potter Amy Durland Faulkner of Mars Hill. So far, the shop at 493 Main St. features 11 Aroostook County artisans.
Local businesses have bloomed in Presque Isle in the last few years, from clothing shops to a coffee house and more. As Presque Isle contemplates a redesign to attract more businesses and residents to the heart of downtown, a variety of storefronts are giving people more to do and buy locally. The co-op is the latest creative space to take root on Main Street.
The name is significant, Plourde said.
“I’ve seen so many people put off their dreams and the things they really want for their lives, saying, ‘I’ll do that someday’,” she said. “But the trouble is that we all only have so many somedays. This co-op represents one of my big somedays.”
Artists pay $50 per month to belong to the nonprofit co-op and keep the money from what they sell, Plourde said. The membership fees go back into the co-op.
Plourde rents several properties in Presque Isle, and when a tenant moved out of 493 Main St., she and some fellow artists decided to create Someday Comes.
The shop is not just a collection of artisans’ work for sale, but a space where visitors can take classes and craftspeople can share inspiration.
She and fellow crafters have put together a supply collection, so the items can be shared and not go to waste. It’s something that sets Someday Comes apart, and the artists see the potential for it to grow into a unique community space, Plourde said.
She has already started beginning sewing classes, and the shop has monthly sessions where people bring things to work on while they chat and enjoy snacks, she said. They’re exploring paint-and-sip offerings and instruction in quilting, painting and stained glass.
Plourde paints, quilts, designs costumes, creates jewelry, works with stained glass and more.
“I joke that my hands get bored if they’re not busy, so I’m almost always making or doing something. It’s a large part of why I became a surgeon,” she said.
The store showcases Aroostook County artisans’ products from drinkware to jewelry, home decor to apparel, ironwork to marble sculpture. Prices range from a few dollars to thousands for fine art pieces.
Among Plourde’s work on display are costumes, including an elaborate recreation of a dress from 1580 Venice.
For the artists, the shop is a chance to get their work out into the community at a permanent location.
“I feel bringing crafters and artists together in a common place benefits everyone,” said crafter Tammy Closson of Easton. “The shop has benefited me by giving me a place to display my creations at an affordable price without having to go set up at craft fairs all the time.”
Closson makes a variety of items, including sublimation products. Sublimation uses a special ink printer to create designs that the creator transfers onto items, such as apparel or drinkware.
She also has car air fresheners, 3D printed dragons, seasonal decor and fresh centerpieces at the shop.
Other artists include Presque Isle sculptor Raphael Gribetz and crafter and laser engraver Julie Plummer of Fort Fairfield.
Carolyn Loomes of Island Falls, who makes handmade natural soaps, is the newest crafter to join the co-op. Someday Comes intrigued her because it promotes artisan work that harkens back to times gone by: wood and iron work, needlecraft and other handmade goods, she said.
“My glycerin Jasmine vegan soap began my journey,” Loomes said. “I began to create my soaps as I found the commercial body washes were drying to my skin and wanted to use natural ingredients [like] glycerin, argan oil, coconut oil and African shea butter.”
The store combines many works of art together and creates a place where everyone is welcome to share their creations, she said.
That’s exactly what Someday Comes’ founders had in mind, said Plourde, who is also on Presque Isle’s Downtown Revitalization Committee.
The co-op gets local creators into a storefront rather than focusing on craft fairs, which take a lot of time and effort when people have jobs and families, she said. And for the community, anything that can draw more people to Main Street is a plus.
“Places like this are critical for the downtown, as they offer shopping that’s interesting and always changing,” Plourde said. “Hosting classes also gets more people downtown, who will hopefully then go spend time and money at other downtown businesses.”
