Category: Cover Stories

Local confectioners discuss candy cane creation

Christmas may be days away, but at Nelson’s Candy in Wilton, it’s not uncommon for the unmistakable scent of peppermint to fill the air as early as October — a sign that candy cane season has begun.

“The minute they know we have them … people will ask,” owner Nancy Feraco said of Nelson’s candy canes. “We do wait to hang them up until about a week or two before Thanksgiving, but people will ask for them, and we’ll run in the other room and get them, and sell them that way.”

Feraco took over the shop in early 2019 for the late Doug Nelson, continuing his decades-long legacy in town of chocolate and candymaking. Chief among their products during the holiday season are the candy canes — made the old-fashioned way, of course, using large kettles of boiling water and a taffy puller.

“The candy cane recipe goes way back,” said Philip LaVergne, one of Nelson’s candymakers. “Doug rarely used a thermometer. Everything was all by feel. … But when it came to the candy canes, he would use one because it’s a little bit more specific.”

Indeed, the practice of making these beloved peppermint canes by hand is about as traditional as it gets in the candymaking world. It requires a distinct level of precision — not to mention consistent manpower for all the quick cutting, rolling and shaping due to the short window of time before the candy hardens — to craft them from start to finish, making the final product that much more special.

“It’s not a difficult process to learn. It is pretty straightforward but there’s a lot of scientific stuff behind it,” said Emily Lewis, production manager of Van Otis Chocolates, which, in the past, has held public candy cane making demonstrations as fundraisers for Easterseals New Hampshire. While the demonstrations have been put on hold due to the pandemic, Van Otis does carry an assortment of seasonal items during the holidays, including peppermint cream and candy cane Swiss fudge, or dark and white chocolate Swiss fudge blended with candy cane pieces.

Up in the Weirs Beach area of Laconia, Kellerhaus is another New Hampshire shop known for making its own candy canes by hand. Owner Daryl Dawson said they always make sure to get their first batch done just in time for their annual holiday event in late November.

“We’re not in a temperature-controlled facility … and so we need it to be a cool temperature and low humidity in order for the candy to harden correctly,” Dawson said, “and that’s usually around [the] end of October, beginning of November for our candy canes and also our ribbon candy.”

Granite State Candy Shoppe, with stores in Concord and Manchester, also offers handcrafted candy canes — they’re available individually as is, or dipped in white or dark chocolate. The shop also offers white and dark chocolate-layered peppermint bark and candy cane cocoa bombs, featuring a combination of dark chocolate and their homemade candy cane pieces.

From the traditional red and white peppermint cane to those in an assortment of crazy colors and flavors, we take a deep dive into how local candy experts make the magic happen and explore the folklore and claims of origin behind the candy cane as a uniquely Christmastime treat.

Ribbon candy
Like candy canes, ribbon candy is perhaps associated with the Christmas season more than any other time of the year. Kellerhaus in Laconia, in business since 1906, is known for being one of the few shops in the Granite State that regularly makes its own ribbon candy. They usually start making it around November in tandem with the candy canes, according to owner Daryl Dawson.
“A candy cane is really solid, but the ribbon candy we’ll pull into really thin strips,” Dawson said. “A lot of people think of ribbon candy as what they’ll see in the grocery store and it’s very thick. Ours is very thin, so thin that it’s almost one of those Listerine strips. It sort of will just melt in your mouth. … You won’t be chewing on it or having to suck on it for very long.”
For flavors, Dawson said they offer two different boxes — one is a traditional box holding cinnamon, wintergreen, peppermint, molasses and chocolate, while the other is an old-fashioned box with flavors like licorice, clove, spearmint, root beer and vanilla.
Nellson Perry, a candymaker who joined the staff of Nelson’s Candy in downtown Wilton back in March, has a mostly hard candy background — including candy canes and ribbon candy. Owner Nancy Feraco said they’ve made a few types of ribbon candy so far and hope to start experimenting with more soon. They have also been playing around with small hard candy pieces featuring drawn festive imagery in the center, like snowflakes and Santa Claus faces.

Getting hooked

Depending on their size, LaVergne said Nelson’s can usually produce around 150 individual candy canes or slightly more per batch, while at Kellerhaus, Dawson said that number tends to be between 75 and 100 due to its larger, nearly foot-long canes. The process starts by cooking a mixture mostly made up of sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of just about 300 degrees.

“Once it hits the 300 degree mark, we pour that mixture out onto a stainless steel table that is heated with water to prevent the candy from breaking,” Dawson said. “When it’s poured onto the table, it’s completely clear. You can almost see through it into the table and we let it cool and add flavoring and color. … When it’s really hot it comes out in pools on the table, and you have to block it from kind of flowing off of the table, it’s so liquidy.”

When the sugar mixture cools enough and reaches a malleable, plastic-like state, that’s when it can be taken over to a taffy puller.

“They are like big coat hooks, basically,” Lewis said. “You have to wear gloves because it’s still very hot at that point, probably at around 250 degrees, and so some of us will wear multiple layers of gloves. … You rapidly flip it over the hook and pull it down and flip it over the hook and pull it down again, and that incorporation of air is actually going to make your candy cane turn white.”

Dawson said this process of turning the mixture from a clear color to a solid white only takes about five minutes.

“It’s really remarkable to see that happen,” he said. “[Pulling it] not only helps to cool it, but it also makes it a little bit more pliable and easier to work with. … We’ll also pull the red of the candy cane stripe until it’s nice and shiny looking.”

From there, the mixture — also known as a loaf — is moved to a table to be rolled, extruded and cut into individual pieces. Candymakers will use a sharp knife or a pair of shears to carefully section pieces off.

“You make a big log out of the white in the center, and then you put the stripes you added flavoring in on the side to create a design,” Lewis said. “You pull it into almost like a rope shape, and then cut your desired length and then shape them and pass them on. It sets really quickly on the table. I mean, once it gets removed from any kind of heat, it’ll set within maybe 30 seconds to a minute. So you can’t really play around with it too much or you’ll start cracking it.”

The final step, Dawson said, involves gently bending the top of each rolled up piece to create that signature hook-like shape of the candy cane.

As they reach the end of a batch, LaVergne noted, sometimes the stripes won’t always line up just right, or there won’t be enough left to create a full-sized candy cane. Those pieces are set aside to be used on other items like Nelson’s peppermint bark.

“[The candy cane pieces] are all mixed into the dark chocolate layer and the white chocolate layer, and then we sprinkle more of them on top,” he said.

Fun with flavors

Who says candy canes have to just be red and white and peppermint-flavored? In March of this year, Peterborough native Nellson Perry joined the staff of Nelson’s — Feraco likes to joke that they named the shop after him — bringing with him an extensive background in hard candy making from his time in the Los Angeles area.

“Nellson actually showed us another methodology of flavoring [candy canes] in the kettle,” LaVergne said, “because before, we used to flavor it on the hook. This way, it’s more specific, more precise and it’s the same exact flavor every time. … The other thing was that before, the stripes didn’t get flavor, because we cut off that piece of candy before they brought it to the hook. So now everything’s got flavor, and you’re going to get a better product out of it.”

The changed step of adding the flavoring into the kettle has also afforded them the opportunity to more readily experiment with different types of candy canes. Peppermint remains the tried and true favorite, but Nelson’s has also been known to make orange candy canes, blue raspberry candy canes, root beer candy canes and even anise candy canes for those who like the taste of black licorice. They made an orange candy cane with black stripes during the Halloween season, and recently Perry combined green apple, pineapple and orange flavors to create a fruit punch candy cane. Other unique flavor combinations have included a “chocolate-filled” candy cane, the inside of which Feraco equated to the chewiness of a Tootsie Roll.

“We took the candy loaf and flattened it out first, and then we put a big tube of chocolate taffy in there and then sealed it up,” LaVergne said.

At Kellerhaus, Dawson said they’ll always roll out peppermint and wintergreen candy canes, along with a third flavor that’s typically switched up every season.

“The peppermint is your typical red and white candy cane, and then the wintergreen is green and white,” he said. “Wintergreen is kind of like if you think about a wintergreen gum. It’s a little bit sharper and not as minty as the peppermint. … Everybody’s got different tastes of what they like; it just depends on the person. But the peppermint is definitely the top seller for us.”

As for that third flavor, this year it’s a blue and pink-colored cotton candy-flavored cane. But Dawson added that, oftentimes, the sky’s the limit with what they can come up with.

“We’ve done gingerbread, grape, orange, sour apple … [and] some of them actually do really well,” he said. “We usually like to let some of our newer employees decide on the flavor to do.”

An age-old tradition

There is much folklore surrounding the origin of candy canes and their significance at Christmastime. According to The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, an encyclopedia edited by Darra Goldstein and published by Oxford University Press, a common story comes from the German city of Cologne, around the year 1670.

Hard candy sticks were a popular confection in Germany during the 17th century. Goldstein writes that a choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral, in his attempt to quiet children during holiday church services, consulted with a local candymaker. He ended up asking him to make a special version of a hard candy stick — one with a hook on the end, to resemble a shepherd’s crook.

Of course, there’s also the customary suggestion that, because a candy cane turned upside down resembles the letter “J,” it’s symbolic of Jesus Christ. Goldstein goes on to write that other theologians have suggested the white color of candy canes to be reflective of purity.

Prior to World War I, candy canes were manufactured by hand just about everywhere in the world. That began to change, Goldstein writes, around the early 1920s when the Bunte Brothers of Chicago applied for a patent for a machine that would manufacture them.

Considering the fact that candy canes have been mass-produced by machine now for roughly an entire century, it’s rather remarkable to see local shops like Nelson’s Candy — which, in its own right, has been in business since 1914, dating back to its days in Lowell, Mass. — take the time to continue to make them the old-fashioned way today.

Inside the Wilton shop is a framed black-and-white photograph of Doug Nelson’s grandmother and other family members and employees. Above them is a large chandelier-style structure with homemade candy canes hanging from it.

“As a child, Doug started making candy for her, and he made it all his life,” Feraco said. “In the 1980s, she sold [her shop] and she had all the grandchildren come in and take whatever they wanted for equipment. And so Doug took the taffy machines, he took the kettles and a few other things. … He moved here [to Wilton] in the early ’90s.”

Where to get your candy cane fix

Here are some local shops that offer their own handmade candy canes and other candy cane-related items, from peppermint bark to candy cane cocoa bombs.

Granite State Candy Shoppe
13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591; 832 Elm St., Manchester, 218-3885; granitestatecandyshoppe.com
With stores in both downtown Concord and Manchester, Granite State Candy Shoppe offers handmade peppermint- or wintergreen-flavored candy canes — they are sold individually as is, or come dipped in milk or dark chocolate. Other products include dark and white chocolate peppermint bark (topped with the shop’s homemade peppermint pieces) and dark chocolate candy cane cocoa bombs.

Kellerhaus
259 Endicott St. N, Laconia, 366-4466, kellerhaus.com
Located in the Weirs Beach area of Laconia, Kellerhaus typically gets rolling on the candy canes and other peppermint-flavored items just before Thanksgiving. Individual canes are rather large — nearly a foot long after they are hooked, according to owner Daryl Dawson — and come in peppermint or wintergreen flavors, as well as a third flavor that rotates out every season. This year it’s cotton candy, featuring a blue and pink-colored cane.

Nelson’s Candy and Music
65 Main St., Wilton, 654-5030, nelsonscandymusic.com
It’s not uncommon for the sweet scent of peppermint to flow through the air inside this downtown Wilton shop as early as October. Nelson’s Candy is known for being somewhat of an experimental candy cane factory behind the counter — the traditional peppermint-flavored canes are available here, as well as everything from fruit punch to root beer candy canes. The same candy cane pieces are used in the shop’s own homemade peppermint bark.

Van Otis Chocolates
341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com
While this Manchester shop has halted its candy cane making demonstration fundraisers due to the pandemic, there are still all kinds of seasonal treats here, from the peppermint creams to the candy cane Swiss fudge, featuring dark and white chocolate Swiss fudge mixed with candy cane pieces.

Featured photo: Candy cane Swiss fudge from Van Otis Chocolates in Manchester. Photo by Kreativ Studios.

Keeping the lights and heat on this winter — and what it will do to your wallet

The skyrocketing costs of energy in 2022 have left many New Hampshire families struggling to afford their heating and electric bills, and some even in fear of their homes going cold and dark this winter. Fortunately, there are a number of resources available to the state’s more vulnerable populations to ensure that doesn’t happen, as well as actions that residents of all demographics can take to reduce energy consumption — and the balance on their energy bills.

New Hampshire energy professionals shared their expertise on the current state of and onlook on energy costs; how to pay less for energy now and over time; and where to find the appropriate assistance to meet your family’s unique energy needs.

Why is energy so expensive now?

The biggest reason, according to New Hampshire energy professionals, is an increased demand for natural gas around the world, triggered by global events, particularly the war in Ukraine.

“Even though the U.S. is a major producer of natural gas, we’re in the same global market as everyone else on the planet,” New Hampshire’s Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis said. “When the demand for natural gas around the world goes up, our prices go up.”

New England’s power grid relies heavily on natural gas, so when the price of natural gas goes up, so does the price of the electricity produced with it.

“The regional market for electric supply consists of 50 percent or so, give or take, natural gas,” said William Hinkle, media relations manager for Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest utility, “so the prices [of electricity] are always very closely tied to the price of natural gas.”

In the winter, the demand for natural gas is even greater as many homes also use it for heating.

“The winter is tough, because a big portion of the natural gas supply gets diverted for use by millions of people using it to heat, but the power plants still need the same amount of natural gas to produce electricity,” said Seth Wheeler, communications coordinator for New Hampshire Electric Co-op, a member-owned and -controlled electric utility.

Will prices keep going up?

“Probably not,” said Kreis, who, as Consumer Advocate, represents the interests of residential utility customers in government proceedings. “I don’t expect it to go much higher than it is, but that still isn’t good news, because prices are double than what they were a year ago.”

Eversource recently filed its proposal for its next energy service rate adjustment, which will go into effect on Feb. 1, with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. It’s a slight decrease, from 22.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, the rate set in August, to 20.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

“The price is going down, but it’s still incredibly high, and still much higher than it was in February 2022,” Hinkle said.

“We enjoyed, for a good 10 years or so, what turned out to be really low prices for electricity and natural gas,” Kreis said, “but that era of 10-cents service rates is over, and I don’t see it coming back anytime soon.”

What are my options for heating my home? Which heating source is the most economical?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015-2019 American Community Survey, fuel oil is the most common, with 44 percent of New Hampshire homes using it as a primary heating source. Natural gas is the second most common, used by 21 percent of homes, followed by propane gas, used by 16 percent. Electric heating is the primary heating source in nine percent of homes; seven percent use wood, and two percent use coal, solar or another heating source.

In the short term, the most economical option is to continue using your home’s existing heating infrastructure while taking measures to get the most bang for your buck.

“Replacing the heating system in your house with a different one is a substantial investment; that’s going to be expensive,” Kreis said. “The first best option is energy-efficiency and conservation — finding ways to use less energy and need less heat.”

But investing in a different heating system could pay off in the long term.

One of the most economical heating sources that New Hampshire energy professionals are advocating for is the heat pump. Powered by electricity, a heat pump sits outside the home, extracts and condenses heat from the air and blows that heat into the home through ducts. It can also be used during the summer to extract and condense cooling air.

“It’s three times as efficient as more traditional heating, which means you get a lot more heat for less money,” Wheeler said. “It’s going to increase your electric bill a bit, but it will still cost you less on heating overall.”

You can also save money by powering a heat pump or another electric heating system with renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.

“Renewable energy has declined so dramatically in price,” said Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy NH, a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy initiatives in the state. “It’s a persistent myth that it’s expensive because, frankly, people are bad at math. Up front, it’s expensive, but over time, it’s the cheapest thing you can do.”

What can I do right now to reduce my energy usage at home?

“Unfortunately, we’re at a time when people need to be active users of energy,” Kreis said. “You can’t just flip a switch and forget about it anymore. By being mindful about how and when and why you’re using energy, you can save a substantial amount of money.”

Here are some energy-efficiency actions that New Hampshire energy professionals said require little effort but can have a big impact:

• Dress warmly and use warm bedding so that you can turn the heat down.

• Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.

• Replace incandescent lighting with LED lighting.

• Turn the heat down when you’re not at home.

• Open window blinds during the day to absorb heat from the sunlight.

“It sounds glib, but that stuff has an important role to play,” Kreis said. “Energy is never going to be free, and it’s probably never going to be cheap, but anything you can do to bring down your electric bill is worth pursuing.”

Weatherization — making energy-friendly improvements to your home — can also go a long way toward reducing your energy bill. The most important improvement you can make, Evans-Brown said, is tightening up your home’s insulation, but that can be costly. If you aren’t ready to make that investment, there are some relatively inexpensive DIY improvements that you can make to your home right now to conserve as much heat as possible:

• Put weather stripping around doors

• Install a shrink-to-fit plastic window cover

• Use spray foam insulation to fill in cracks and gaps along the ceilings and walls

“These are quick and easy things that anybody can do to lower their energy bill this winter,” Evans-Brown said.

Can I get electricity at a cheaper price?

Possibly. Your electric bill pays for the electricity you use and for the delivery of that electricity to your home. The system of poles and wires through which your electricity is delivered is managed by an electric utility, and that utility is, with limited exceptions, chosen for you based on where you live. You do, however, have a choice of companies to purchase your electricity, or “supply,” from. These companies, known as “competitive energy suppliers,” can set their own prices and contract terms and offer sign-up incentives. If you don’t choose your own supplier, your utility is your default supplier, and you pay the “default energy service rate,” which is adjusted every six months to reflect market prices and demand.

“Customers should know that they have options,” Hinkle said. “They should definitely shop around to ensure that they’re paying the lowest possible supply rate.”

“Some of the prices that the competitive suppliers are offering right now are substantially lower than the utility’s price,” Evans-Brown said. “You can [switch to] a competitive supplier and cut your bill by like, 15 percent right this moment.”

What kind of assistance is available to me if I’m struggling to afford electricity and home heating?

In September, $35 million in state surplus funds was allocated to deliver an emergency energy relief package to New Hampshire households earning between 60 and 75 percent of the state’s median income. Qualifying households can receive a one-time benefit of up to $450 for home heating costs and up to $200 for their electric bill. Apply for emergency assistance through your local community action agency by April 30, 2023.

“The eligibility requirements are looser in terms of income, and people who don’t normally qualify for benefits may qualify [for emergency assistance],” Wheeler said. “Normally, you wouldn’t see this. This is a one-off thing that reflects the climate we’re in right now of an energy crisis.”

For New Hampshire households earning less than 60 percent of the state’s median income, there are three main ongoing energy assistance programs available, also through community action agencies:

• The Fuel Assistance Program provides qualifying households with benefits ranging from $304 to $3,024 to offset home heating costs.

• Electric Energy Assistance provides qualifying households a discount of eight to 76 percent on their utility bill.

• Weatherization Assistance provides qualifying households with home improvements for energy efficiency at no cost.

In applying for emergency assistance, many households find that they actually qualify for ongoing assistance programs.

“When people look at the numbers and self-assess, they think they aren’t going to qualify,” said Ryan Clouthier, chief operating officer at Southern New Hampshire Services, the Community Action Partnership for Rockingham and Hillsborough counties, “but there are many different [factors] that come into play, so it’s important that people talk to us and let us help them with the application process.”

Even if you don’t qualify for the state’s main ongoing assistance programs, it’s worth reaching out to your local community action agency as it may know of other kinds of energy assistance that aren’t public knowledge that you could qualify for.

“There are other programs that aren’t as large that may be able to help you with something,” Clouthier said. “If you get your application in with a community action agency, we can see if there’s anything else out there to connect you with.”

Utilities, for example, may also offer assistance programs for customers who are struggling to pay their bills.

“We encourage customers to reach out to us so that we can work with them one-on-one to find a solution that will help them in their individual case,” Hinkle said.

Eversource has a number of income-based assistance programs and payment plan options available and can guide customers in identifying energy-efficiency solutions to reduce their bill:

• The New Start program helps customers with an overdue balance by creating a new budgeted monthly payment for them based on the average amount of their regular monthly bill. If they are diligent in paying their new monthly payment, Eversource will forgive a portion of the overdue balance each month.

• Payment plans can be established for customers who have an overdue balance but don’t qualify for forgiveness. If they make an agreed-upon minimum payment, they can pay off their remaining balance over the course of up to 12 months.

• Budget billing is an arrangement that allows customers to make fixed monthly payments for 12 months based on the past annual energy usage for customers in their location. If, at 12 months, the customer’s usage has totaled more than what they’ve paid for, they can “settle up” their remaining balance. If their usage has totaled less than what they’ve paid for, they will receive a reimbursement credited to their next bill.

• Neighbor Helping Neighbor is a partnering nonprofit that provides grants to utility customers who don’t qualify for income-based assistance but are experiencing an emergency or isolated financial hardship that has made it difficult for them to pay their bills.

“A lot of people, when they fall into arrears with their bills, see their utility company as this big bad enemy and try to avoid them,” Kreis said. “You should be doing the opposite; lean into talking with your utility. They have all sorts of resources that can help you.”

New Hampshire energy resources

New Hampshire utilities

• Eversource (electric): 800-592-2000, eversource.com
• Liberty (electric and natural gas): 800-833-4200, libertyutilities.com
• New Hampshire Electric Co-op (electric): 800-698-2007, nhec.com
• Unitil (electric and natural gas): 888-301-7700, unitil.com

To see a list of New Hampshire competitive energy suppliers and compare their rates and plans, visit energy.nh.gov/consumers/choosing-energy-supplier.

Community Action Agencies

Local resources for energy assistance programs.

• Southern New Hampshire Services (Hillsborough and Rockingham counties): 668-8010, snhs.org
• Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties: 223-0043, capbm.org
• Community Action Partnership of Strafford County: 435-2500, straffordcap.org
• Southwestern Community Services (Cheshire and Sullivan counties): 352-7512, scshelps.org
• Tri-County Community Action (Coos, Carroll and Grafton counties): 752-7001, tccap.org

See “Federal Energy Resources for Individuals and Homeowners,” a document released by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen outlining the energy cost-saving benefits of the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August and New Hampshire energy assistance programs at shaheen.senate.gov.

New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate (oca.nh.gov) represents the interests of residential utility customers in government proceedings.

NHSaves (nhsaves.com) is a collaboration of New Hampshire utilities that acts as a resource for energy-efficiency, providing residents with information, incentives and support.

New Hampshire fuel prices are updated regularly at energy.nh.gov/energy-information/nh-fuel-prices.

For more information on all things pertaining to energy in New Hampshire, visit the state’s Department of Energy website, energy.nh.gov, or Public Utilities Commission website, puc.nh.gov.

Maybe solar?

If there’s one good thing to come out of this winter’s high energy costs, Evans-Brown said, it’s that they’ve led many people to reevaluate their energy sources and take an interest in renewable energy sources, particularly solar.

“It’s waking people up and pushing more people in that direction [of clean energy],” he said.

The upfront cost of solar installation is not cheap, but there are a number of programs in New Hampshire that offer rebates and other incentives for qualifying residents who install clean energy generation systems on their homes.

One of those programs is the New Hampshire Department of Energy’s Low-Moderate Income Solar Grant Program, which awards grants to fund solar projects for low- to moderate-income multi-family housing communities. Project proposals and applications are being accepted now through Jan. 24, 2023, with grant amounts ranging from $75,000 to $175,000.

“Inflation and rising energy prices hit our low-income families hardest, and this bill will help ensure that these New Hampshire families and communities can share in the benefits of clean energy,” Gov. Sununu said in a statement after signing the bill for the program in July.

New Hampshire utilities have also joined the push toward transitioning residents to renewable energy sources.

“It’s an important priority for the company,” Hinkle said in regard to Eversource. “Ensuring that we’re able to maximize the benefits of [clean energy] programs for all customers, particularly low- and moderate-income customers, is something we work on every day.”

The number of people installing solar energy systems on their homes and businesses is around four times higher this year than it was last year, Evans-Brown said.

“If you call up a solar contractor today, they wouldn’t be able to get to your house until like, next August,” he said. “They’ve got people beating down their doors.”

But switching to solar is not a decision to be made in haste; people who are considering making the switch would be wise to use the waiting period for service as an opportunity to thoroughly research solar energy and connect with local resources like Clean Energy NH that provide support and guidance to clean energy users.

“That’s your next step,” Evans-Brown said.

Resources

Clean Energy NH (cleanenergynh.org) is a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy initiatives in the state.

Learn more about the New Hampshire Department of Energy’s renewable energy programs and initiatives at energy.nh.gov/renewable-energy.

New Hampshire Energy Highlights

June – In response to a nationwide increase in energy costs, Gov. Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire Department of Energy sign off on a $7.5 million emergency energy relief package. For the first time ever, low-income households qualifying for assistance through the Fuel Assistance Program receive summertime assistance to offset the costs of cooling their homes. Additionally, $7 million in state surplus funds is allocated to the Electric Assistance Program, which provides low-income households with assistance on their electric bills.

July – Gov. Chris Sununu signs SB270, a law under which New Hampshire’s Department of Energy will work with the state’s utility companies to enroll low- to moderate-income families in a community solar energy program. Families enrolled in the program receive a credit on their electricity bill.

August – Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, notifies customers of an “unprecedented increase” in the supply portion of their bill due to record-high natural gas prices and energy supply pressures from the global economy. The energy provider’s energy service rate, which is adjusted twice a year in August and February, increases from 10.669 cents per kilowatt hour to 22.566 cents per kilowatt hour.

September – HB2023 is passed, allowing $35 million in state surplus funds to be put toward a one-time emergency fuel assistance program and supplemental electric benefit for households earning between 60 and 75 percent of the state’s median income. “New Hampshire just delivered the largest energy relief package this state has ever seen, helping families in need this winter,” Gov. Chris Sununu says in a press release. An additional $7 million is allocated to support existing assistance programs for low-income households.

October – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen leads a roundtable discussion with New Hampshire energy professionals to highlight state and federal programs available to assist New Hampshire households with heating costs. “There are numerous programs and opportunities available to help Granite Staters, but those are only effective if folks know about them,” Sen. Shaheen says in a press release. Sen. Shaheen releases “Federal Energy Resources for Individuals and Homeowners,” a document outlining the energy cost-saving benefits of the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August and state energy assistance programs.

November – The Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP), which funds New Hampshire’s Fuel Assistance Program, receives $33.9 million in federal funding to help low-income households pay their home heating and energy bills, make minor energy-related home repairs and weatherize their homes to make them more energy-efficient.

December – Eversource files its proposed energy service rate for Feb. 1 with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. If approved, the rate will decrease from 22.6 cents per kilowatt-hour to 20.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, lowering the supply portion of the average residential customer’s bill by approximately seven percent.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

This year, give kids the gift of activities, adventures and experiences.

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For the holidays, give a gift to kids that allows them to explore art, nature and science through museum passes, activity gift cards, movie tickets and more.

Michael Accomando, the owner of Mel’s Funway Park, said that even though Mel’s is closed until the spring, they are still selling gift cards and Fun Packs (which include admission for all activities at the park) for the upcoming season. To Accomando, giving activities to kids is important.

“I try to keep people as far away from sitting on their phones or screens,” Accomando said. “I want to see kids outside and having fun.”

Below are a list of some area venues that offer gift cards, passes and more for kids and families to enjoy.

• Altitude Trampoline Park (360 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, altitudemerrimack.com, 261-3673) Gift cards can be requested through the website. An average jump session starts at $20 and there are multiple session passes available for purchase at the park.

• Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, nhahs.org) Membership for the full year includes a 10 percent discount in the Museum gift shop, borrowing privileges from the Slusser Aviation Lending Library, an invitation to quarterly luncheon programs and all Aviation Museum of New Hampshire events, and a subscription to the quarterly newsletter The Aeronaut. Individual membership costs $35, with family membership costing $70. Memberships can be purchased online.

• Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) The museum is offering gift cards that are one playtime pass for $12.50 for an adult and one child. A yearlong membership costs $145 per family.

• Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-7499; chunkys.com) The movie theater offers physical and printable gift cards ranging from $10 to $100 and an anytime movie pass for $8. There are also gift boxes starting at $22, such as the one that includes a $10 gift card, one prepaid admission and one prepaid popcorn coupon.

• Cowabungas (725 Huse Road, Manchester, cowabungas.com, 935-9659) The playground offers gift cards in any amount that can be purchased on its website.

• Crotched Mountain (615 Francestown Road, Bennington, crotchedmtn.com, 588-3668) Day lift passes start at $64 for youth ages 7 to 17.

• Fun City Trampoline Park (553 Mast Road, Goffstown, funcitygoffstown.com, 606-8807)Gift cards can be purchased at the park. Jump times start at $10 for toddlers ages 6 and younger or $16 for children ages older than 6. There is a VIP pass available online that includes two hours of fun, with a 60-minute jump time, laser tag and bumper cars. Pricing for children older than 6 is $30, $18 for toddlers.

• Granite Base Camp (300 Bloudin Road in Manchester; experiencebasecamp.org/pages/granite, 623-5962) offers annual family members (at $150 for four passes per weekend and $200 for six) or get a day pass for $20 per person. During Saturdays in winter, Granite Base Camp has ice skating, ice fishing, snow shoeing, indoor archery, STEM programs and more.

• Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, krazykids.com, 228-7529) Gift cards start at $25 and a two-hour play session costs $15 for a child and an additional $5 for an accompanying adult.

• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr., Concord, starhop.com, 271-7827) The Center features different levels of memberships that can be purchased online. Base level membership includes free admission to exhibit halls, free admission to the monthly Super Stellar Fridays series, free admission to regular planetarium shows, free or reduced admission to science centers that are part of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) reciprocal program, free admission to partner museums and attractions, discounts on Discovery Center workshops and programs, and discounts at the Science Store. Membership for students ages 18 and under start at $30.

• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way, Manchester, mcintyreskiarea.com, 622-6159) They offer everything from day lifts to season passes available to purchase on the website. Prices range from $20 to $389. Gift cards are also available starting at $10.

• Mel’s Funway Park (454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, melsfunwaypark.com, 424-2292)Email [email protected] or call to purchase gift cards or a Funway fun pack. Packs start at $38 per person and include a go-kart ride, a round of mini golf, a laser tag session, a bumper boat ride, two admissions to the laser maze and five batting cage tokens.

• Muse Paintbar (42 Hanover St., Manchester, musepaintbar.com, 888-607-6873, musepaintbar.com) The studio is offering gift cards that can be purchased online. The starting price for a gift card is $25 and sessions start at $35.

• O’neil Cinemas (24 Calef Hwy., Epping, oneilcinemas.com, 679-3529) The movie theater offers gift cards from $5 to $100. Gift cards can be purchased online or in the cinema.

• Pats Peak (686 Flanders Road, Henniker, patspeak.com, 428-3245) Gift cards start at $20, and a lift pass for juniors costs $82.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester, see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) Individual membership costs $30, membership for a family of four costs $120, for a family of up to eight is $150. Gift certificates can be purchased by calling the center’s phone number.

• Studio 550 (550 Elm St., Manchester, 550arts.com, 232-5597) The clay studio offers classes in drawing or clay work for students ages 9 and older during the school semesters and a pottery camp over summer vacation. Gift cards (made out of clay) are available and range from $10 to $300.

• Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St., Manchester, verticaldreams.com, 625-6919) The rock climbing gym has gift cards starting at $25 that can be purchased online. A beginner lesson package costs $40 and a day pass costs $15 for children. Memberships for children start at one month for $45.

• XtremeCraze (4 Orchard View Dr., Unit 10, Londonderry, xtremecraze.us/londonderry, 404-6064) Pricing starts at $18.

Featured photo: The Aviation Museum of N.H.’s annual ‘Holiday Festival of Model Planes and Toy Aircraft.’ Courtesy photo.

Give the experience of a live performance this year

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

Theaters, orchestras and cinemas are offering gift cards and season memberships for live performances.

“I think when you come to a show the overall experience is elevated,” said Shannon Sullivan, the development director at the Palace and Rex Theatres in Manchester. “It’s a chance to get out and come be part of the community. We love getting people over here to the Palace and the Rex to experience it firsthand.”

Sullivan said that the Palace is in the swing of its 2022-2023 season now, with showings of A Christmas Carol throughout December, to be followed by the Piano Men tribute show in January and Broadway classic Rent coming later in the year.

The Rex will continue having live music performances and comedy shows every Friday evening, as well as tribute bands and other entertainment, like magicians and silent films. Both venues will have local and national musicians playing throughout the year.

Sullivan recommended that people purchase gift certificates or memberships to the theater. She added that tickets could be bought as presents, but they wouldn’t be exchangeable for other days due to all ticket sales being final at checkout. Memberships for the Palace and Rex start at $100 and gift cards could be for any price.

According to Sullivan, the base level of membership includes “two tickets, access to private members club at the palace … various discounts … acknowledgement in the playbill, and members are invited to receptions and dress rehearsals as a perk.”

At Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, owner Scott Hayward said that it’s incredibly important to him to give people a fantastic experience. Growing up, Hayward said, his favorite presents were gift cards to movie theaters.

“I love getting experience for that,” Hayward said. “You want to do something and now you can without paying for it.”

The Tupelo has season memberships for $250 and also offers gift cards people can purchase. As at the Palace and the Rex, ticket sales are final, and Hayward advises against purchasing tickets over the gift cards. He said the average price for one ticket at Tupelo is $42.

There’s a whole series of comedians, musicians and other performers coming up at Tupelo, Hayward said. He is most excited about Crash Test Dummies, an alternative and folk rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. They’ll be playing on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The ticket price wasn’t listed on the website at the time of printing.

When it comes to a choice with gifting, Hayward said that there’s nothing like live entertainment.

“You can give a physical gift but when you give them tickets or venue gift cards it’s giving an experience,” Hayward said. “You get to give them a full night out.”

Here are some organizations in the Granite State that are offering gift certificates or memberships:

• Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) Memberships are available starting at $120 and include exclusive access to the best seats in the house at the Chubb Theatre, members-only ticket insurance exchange policy, a 24-hour presale window, concession quick-lane pass, access to Listener Lab programming club, and free access to online content.

• Community Players of Concord (435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord, communityplayersofconcord.org, 344-4747) Season tickets are still available at the time of printing, costing $16 per ticket. Order by calling or by emailing [email protected].

• Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-7499; chunkys.com) The movie theater offers physical and printable gift cards ranging from $10 to $100 and an anytime movie pass for $8. There are also gift boxes for $22 that include a $10 gift card, one prepaid admission and one prepaid popcorn coupon. Chunky’s also offers gift baskets for one, two or a family of four priced at $25.50, $43 and $84 respectively.

• Flying Monkey (39 S. Main St., Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com, 536-255) In addition to gift cards starting at $25, Flying Monkey also offers a “Prime-Mate” membership package for $250 that includes 48-hour advance notice on new shows, a $100 gift card, a copy of the “Rockin’ the Flying Monkey” photo book, merchandise, a pair of tickets to the annual anniversary bash, and special membership offers and discounts.

• Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) The theater has tickets for sale for the 2022-2023 season; tickets for adults cost $22 to $25 while tickets for students, seniors and members cost $19 to $22. Memberships are still available, and prices start at $40 a year.

• Nashua Chamber Orchestra (505 Amherst St., Nashua, nco-music.org, 978-226-8575) Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 65 and older, military and college students, free for students under 18. A season pass costs $50 for adults, $35 for seniors, military and college students.

• O’neil Cinemas (24 Calef Hwy., Epping, oneilcinemas.com, 679-3529) The movie theater offers gift cards from $5 to $100. Gift cards can be purchased online or in the cinema.

• Palace and Rex Theatres (80 Hanover St. in Manchester for the Palace Theatre and its box office, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Memberships start at $100. Gift certificate pricing starts at $25.

• Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St., Concord, redrivertheatres.org, 224.4600) Gift cards can be purchased online or at the theater for $10 or more. The theater also has package deals that include two movie passes for Red River Theatres and a $25 gift card to a participating restaurant, and also a year-long membership that starts at $65.

• Symphony New Hampshire (6 Church St., Nashua, symphonynh.org, 595-9156) Memberships are not currently available at the time of printing, according to the website. Ticket prices start at $20 per show.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry, tupelomusichall.com, 437-5100) Memberships start at $250 and gift cards can be purchased for any amount.

Featured photo: Margaret Kasper of Mountain Girl Clothing, based in Milford. Courtesy photo.

How upcycled pieces and secondhand finds give clothes and jewelry their next fashion moment

Out with the old, in with the “new”

Upcycling used clothing into fresh fashion

By Matt Ingersoll

[email protected]

Margaret Kasper of Milford was upcycling clothes before that was even a common term.

“My grandmother was a quilter, and I used to watch her save every scrap of fabric that she would use to make her quilts and then reuse it in new quilts. And I think that kind of stuck with me,” said Kasper, who has owned Mountain Girl Clothing since 2008. “I started to do the same thing when I got into sewing. I would save all the discarded pieces of fabric and use them on a new piece further down the line. … I think ‘upcycling’ is a pretty new term, and now it’s pretty trendy, but I think people have been doing it forever and probably not even realizing they’re doing it.”

A Milford native, Kasper studied fashion and textile design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Launching Mountain Girl Clothing with her grandmother’s hand-me-down sewing machine, she began exploring the world of gently used and discarded textiles. Today, she operates in her own studio space in downtown Milford with the help of two assistants.

“There are literally tons and tons of post-consumer waste textiles and discarded clothing that you can find at thrift stores and secondhand stores and things like that,” Kasper said, “and so that’s what I really started to dive into, was looking at what I could use around me that’s not going to cost an arm and a leg. Then I would start to take it apart, transform it and make new pieces of clothing. … People just responded to it really well. Going into thrift stores is kind of like Christmas for me, because you never know what you’re going to find.”

Kasper admitted that when she’s on the hunt for “new” pieces of old clothing she can use at thrift stores, she doesn’t always have the most immediate idea of what she is going to do with it.

“I’ll be attracted to the feel or the print of the fabric,” she said, adding that Mountain Girl Clothing primarily specializes in women’s shirts, jackets, sweaters, hoodies and similar articles.

In addition to shopping at secondhand and thrift stores, Kasper has worked with a family in India for the past few years, whom she became connected with through the e-commerce website Etsy.

“They’ve been sending me their discarded textiles from India, and so I’ve been able to kind of expand what I use for materials and bring that over here to use in my pieces,” she said.

With the help of her two studio assistants, Kasper can produce about 40 to 50 new pieces every week — on average, she said, that’s anywhere from a half hour to up to two hours per piece. Once it’s ready to go, she’ll often have a model come in and wear it, or she’ll model it herself, and they’ll take pictures and create a listing for the item on the website. On Thursdays, Kasper also usually presents a shop launch on social media for her regular customers.

New to the world of upcycling, Sofia Farah launched The Tenth String Co. roughly eight months ago in her basement studio in Nashua. In fact, Farah actually just learned how to use a sewing machine in 2020, when she made masks during the early months of the pandemic.

Farah’s first upcycled project was a denim jacket, but it was one she had made just for herself.

“I posted it on my Instagram after it was done, then I went about my day and I get back on Instagram and get a ton of [messages], which doesn’t ever happen,” she said. “People were obsessed with the denim jacket and they all wanted to buy it. So then I was like, ‘What if I start doing this,’ and so I went to the thrift store that week and just found a bunch of random things.”

Upcycling started as a part-time hustle for Farah, until eventually she quit her job to wholly focus on keeping up with her orders. She is also now one of about 30 vendors that are participating in the inaugural Holiday Shoppes at Tuscan Village in Salem — find her there every Thursday through Sunday through Dec. 31, and daily during the week of Christmas.

“One of my more popular items is the shirt and flannel combo,” Farah said. “Basically I take the torso of a shirt that might have some graphics on it, and I sew flannel arms to it, and it kind of makes this super-relaxed boxy-type fit article of clothing. … It’s the comfiest thing ever. You don’t have to button up the flannel, which is awesome. You just throw it on.”

Like Kasper, Farah finds herself often going to thrift and secondhand stores, as well as a lot of estate sales. She has even developed relationships with some local vintage clothing dealers.

In Salem, Ianna True owns and operates Fits the Vibe, a modern secondhand store that also carries some vintage and upcycled items. The business originally opened in Windham in October 2020 before moving to a larger space in Salem the following year.

True, who taught herself how to sew, also likes to create articles of clothing from graphic T-shirts and flannel sleeves, and she’ll sometimes dabble in upcycling sweatpants and sweatshirts.

Even some items like bed sheets and shower curtains can be upcycled into clothing. Meredith artist Cassandra “Sanni” Reale of Monarch Press Collections has filled such orders since founding her business in early 2021. She also likes to implement block printing into her work.

“That’s what makes me stand out a little bit more than just doing certain sewing alterations, is I’ll add that printing aspect in there, and a lot of it is some of my own designs,” Reale said. “Some of the bigger projects that I’ve done have been … flipping quilts into jackets, and also printing designs on the backs of jackets, or on pants or whatever.”

Kasper believes her customers are drawn to her pieces for several reasons. There’s the environmental benefit of reducing the amount of wasteful materials, for instance, in addition to the excitement among her buyers for being able to wear something wholly different and unique.

“I’ve always loved that you can find a T-shirt at a thrift shop and it’s sad and it doesn’t have a home, and then you add something to it or cut it a certain way and it looks like a completely new piece of clothing. And you didn’t have to go to a big department store to find it,” she said. “Another cool thing about the upcycling process is that it makes these pieces of clothing truly one of a kind. It’s something you can’t find anywhere else and can’t really be replicated.”

Where to find locally upcycled clothing

Here are a few local companies that work to breathe new life into yesterday’s clothes.

Fits the Vibe
287 Lawrence Road, Salem, 818-0598, fitsthevibe.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @fitsthevibe
A modern secondhand store that also carries vintage and upcycled items, Fits the Vibe originally opened in Windham in October 2020 before moving to a larger space in Salem the following September. Owner Ianna True works with dozens of small businesses to source their products in the store, which include everything from jewelry to upcycled clothes.

Monarch Press Collections
Meredith, monarchpresscollections.com, and on Facebook @monarch.press and Instagram @monarchpresscollections
Specializing in upcycled clothing, eco-friendly stamp making, block printing and more, all with a focus on sustainability, Monarch Press Collections was launched by Meredith artist and University of New Hampshire grad Cassandra “Sanni” Reale in early 2021. Her work is available for sale online, and she’ll also be selling her work at Wayfarer Marketplace (626 Main St., Laconia) on Friday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Mountain Girl Clothing
Milford, mountaingirlclothing.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @mountaingirlclothing
Milford native Margaret Kasper has owned and operated Mountain Girl Clothing since 2008, specializing primarily in women’s shirts, jackets, sweaters, hoodies and similar articles. While her downtown Milford studio space isn’t open to the public, Kasper usually presents a weekly shop launch on social media for her regular customers, and she ships her products worldwide.

The Tenth String Co.
Nashua, thetenthstringco.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @thetenthstringco
New to the world of upcycling, Sofia Farah of The Tenth String Co. works out of her basement studio in Nashua. Find her at the inaugural Holiday Shoppes at Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem) every Thursday through Sunday through Dec. 31 (except Sunday, Dec. 25) — hours are Thursday and Friday, 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. From Sunday, Dec. 18, through Friday, Dec. 23, the Holiday Shoppes will also be open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and they’ll be open Saturday, Dec. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thrill of the hunt

Secondhand clothes shopping offers exciting finds

By Angie Sykeny

[email protected]

Shopping secondhand can be a budget-friendly way to grow your wardrobe, but saving money isn’t the only good reason to stop in a local consignment boutique.

“To me, the thrill of the hunt itself is just as exciting as the bargain or the item,” said Elyssa Alfieri, owner of Lilise Designer Resale in Concord. “You’re gaining access to a unique selection of items … with the opportunity to shop many stores, regions, time periods and aesthetics, all in one place, and there is so much room for experimentation to find your truest self.”

At LDR, you’ll find women’s and men’s secondhand clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry, including items from everyday brands like Madewell as well as high-end brands like Chanel, Gucci and Burberry.

“We work hard at curating our selection … and assess each and every item for condition, age, style, fabrication, authenticity and value,” Alfieri said. “We focus on … items from the highest-end brands possible, but we also can’t ignore the ‘it factor’ — when an item is good, it’s good.”

For customers, she said, that carefully curated selection provides a shopping experience that is “all needles, no haystack.”

“We cater to those who feel underserved by what traditional retail models offer,” Alfieri said. “We are for the people who can’t find trends early enough, for people who don’t have time to scour the thrift store racks. … You won’t have to search long to find things you’ll get excited about.”

Chic Boutique Consignments in Bedford also carries secondhand clothing, shoes and accessories for women, plus a small selection for men and children, in high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Patagonia and Prada.

“Each consignment store has their own niche with matching clientele and best-selling brands. … We know what our clientele is looking to purchase for their own closets,” owner Ashley Lyons said. “This is always ever-changing, so keeping up with the most current trends and hot brands is something we take great pride in.”

Consignment stores often carry unique and hard-to-find items “that aren’t going to be found walking around a mall,” Lyons said, such as luxury handbags that are out of stock or discontinued from the designer.

You may also find items manufactured years ago in older styles that are making a comeback.

“Many trends right now are vintage-inspired,” Alfieri said, “so finding the original is a great alternative to spending a lot on designer pieces that sometimes don’t live up to the real thing anyway.”

What sets consignment boutiques apart from “thrift stores,” Lyons said, is the quality of the items.

“Many people come in confusing a consignment store for a thrift store, but rest assured we are much different,” she said. “Our inventory is in pristine condition. … Most first-time customers are astonished to hear our items have been previously loved.”

Secondhand shopping tips
• Know what you’re looking for. “I tell customers to keep a note in their phone with a list of items they’re looking for so they have something to reference when they’re getting caught up in the moment,” Alfieri said.
• Inspect for quality. “Make sure everything works,” Alfieri said. “Check the fabric, zippers, buttons. If you’re thrifting a pair of shoes that look like they were never used, bend the soles to make sure they haven’t dried out.”
• Consider the care required. “Will you need to take special care when washing, wearing or storing this item? Sometimes it’s totally worth it to have an item like that, but only if you know you’ll get what you want out of owning it,” Alfieri said.
• Beware of fakes. “When buying a designer handbag, or any piece for that matter, make sure it is from a trusted reseller that only sells authentic pieces,” Lyons said. “We have seen such an influx of fraudulent designer items, so be sure to only buy from a trusted source.”
• Try things on. “Be adventurous and use the opportunity of shopping in person to try on many different styles,” Alfieri said. “It’ll be fun, and you might discover a new version of yourself in the process.”

Glam-cycling

Many ways to reuse and update jewelry

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but diamonds and a lot of other precious gems and fine jewelry can be extremely expensive. That’s why some stores across southern New Hampshire are reselling old jewelry or turning other objects into beautiful, affordable pieces.

At Atwood Jewelers in Salem, manager Eileen Gormley said more than 95 percent of the business is with estate jewelry, a fancy way of saying preowned jewelry. The shop will polish the jewelry, sometimes will rehouse and fix the bands, and in some cases will completely customize a new piece.

“Mostly, it’s sentimental for people. I would say our clients are mostly the older generation,” said Gormley. She added that the younger generation of clients is looking for a way to continue having sustainability, and that Atwood offers a lot of that.

Another feature at Atwood is that people can often take family heirlooms and repurpose them. Some single earrings sold to the store will become pendants for necklaces or ‘show-stopping’ rings, Gormley said. Sometimes customers will request that the stones in the jewelry be taken out and repurposed into new designs.

“We fix people’s things up and bring them back to life,” Gormley said.

Gormley said that over the 24 years she’s been at Atwood, there have always been professional jewelers working in the store and designers, like her coworker Jio Winchell. Gormley estimated that a third of all the business done at Atwood is repurposing stones into custom jewelry.

Customizing jewelry isn’t only something for precious gemstones. Anything can be jewelry if there is enough time and creative energy put into it. Margi Lord, a contractor turned estate planner, sells costume jewelry at Antiques on Elm in Manchester.

“My jewelry making started years ago when I was working in a hardware store and I said, ‘I don’t have on any earrings,’” Lord said. She said she saw some lock washers and realized with some quick ingenuity she could make a pair of fun earrings.

Ever since then, she said, she’s seen the possibilities for different things to become fashion statements. She is most proud of a cufflink that she sanded the post down on to turn into a pendant.

Lord said that it’s important to her to make her jewelry reasonably priced. At her station at Antiques on Elm, she prices all her jewelry, even a statement piece made from an elephant belt-buckle and Ralph Lauren scarf, at $10 or less.

Lord said she likes to see young people who want to remake the jewelry into something else, or little girls who buy the jewelry she sells so they can play dress-up.

“To me, [sustainability] is really important,” Lord said. “There’s so many things that can be recycled and reused.”

“The colorful plywood decks are just asking to be upcycled!” Stewart said via email. “I also like finding interesting patterns in the scuffed up graphics of the boards too — they’ve made some of my favorite pendants.”

Kim Stewart, who does jewelry design for Firefly Wood Designs, an Etsy store based in Gilford that she and her sister Jennifer run, takes sustainability a step further by turning old skateboards into jewelry.

She makes pendant necklaces and earrings from colorful skateboard decks, an idea that she got from the love she and her husband had for skateboarding while they were in college. Stewart said it’s important for her to do something sustainable and while she knows this isn’t a huge thing, every little bit helps.

“It’s not much, but I know even small changes like upcycling things here and there can really make a big impact on the health of the environment,” Stewart said.

Featured photo: Margaret Kasper of Mountain Girl Clothing, based in Milford. Courtesy photo.