Midnight Farm, a well-known Island boutique, has moved from its original store behind Stop & Shop in Vineyard Haven to 44 Main Street, which, until this spring when they moved across the street, was where Bunch of Grapes was for 40 years.
Thankfully, this wonderful two-floored open space was available for rent, as this past spring Stop & Shop announced expansion plans, which meant Midnight Farm needed a new home. Out of necessity, just a month ago, this fresh opportunity of a move became a reality for Midnight Farm owner Tamara Weiss.
“We are most excited about being on Main Street and joining all the other stores, and I think Café Moxie opening next store is wonderful,” Ms. Weiss said. “Also having people walk in who live here and they are like, ‘Who are you?’ I mean, there are people who are just discovering us, even though we have been in operation in our other location for 18 years. We are so excited about the new space and the street flow it offers with people just walking by.”
When walking into the store the striking contrast of openness and warmth will be one of the first things noticed, next being the array of selections from large furniture for your home to a table artfully laid out with a fine selection of cookbooks. Here too is where you will find most of the houseware selections and smaller items.
What else might strike you, if you had been in the building in years past, is that it doesn’t remind you of what was. Rather, the subtle cream of the wooden walls and the new office space, artfully hidden behind matching walls in the back left corner, along with the open access to the stairs leading up, makes you think you are in a completely different space, yet it still harkens to Midnight Farms’ previous location.
“The store is just like we had before, only spread out in a different way, and it feels really fresh and new,” Ms. Weiss said. “We made sure to keep the same feeling of home, body, and spirit throughout the store so that regardless of what floor you find yourself on it’s all the same.”
At the top of the stairs, you will find an additional space full of other unique finds. Here, though, is where you will find more clothing and accessories for men, women, and children.
“Space allowed us to make more of a statement for the men’s section by allowing us to expand our selection a little bit,” Ms. Weiss said. “We are creating more of an environment for men to shop in. I think that since we have been at this location we have really felt that that is what came up as a need we filled.”
In the men’s section, find beautiful leather jackets, Frye boots, and shirts starting at $50. There are new True Religion shirts, along with Pendleton tops for both men and women. They even have fun, flannel-lined jeans for men in a variety of colors. Women will continue to enjoy the comprehensive lines of clothing and shoes that they have always carried, along with some special finds like the fingerless, fleece-lined gloves from Nepal for $28.
Ms. Weiss described her approach on how she shops for the store this way: “I look for all kinds of crazy, unique things that you can only find in our store. I spend a lot of time looking for items that you just can’t get anywhere else.”
Looking ahead, Ms. Weiss shared her vision for the future: “Going forward we are looking forward to meeting new customers, especially after 18 years many of our returning customers have become great friends of mine and that is one of the greatest things about having a store is meeting new people. I still want Midnight Farm to be a place that people can come and just sit in a big chair and hang out for hours, perhaps to read a book or run into a friend, as that’s always been a natural aspect of my store that I hope will continue here. I think it definitely will.”
If you haven’t been to Midnight Farm yet, or since it moved, treat yourself to a visit. For more information visit them at their boutique on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, call 508-693-1997, or visit midnightfarm.net.
