Crafting plan to support local farms and artists

BUY LOCAL: New England Farm and Artists opened in 2013 as a way to “help support and build” community. Pictured above are Laurie Tapozada, left, owner of New England Farm and Artist in West Greenwich, and Renee LaPorte, of Delectible Edibles, with whom Tapozada shares the space. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
BUY LOCAL: New England Farm and Artists opened in 2013 as a way to “help support and build” community. Pictured above are Laurie Tapozada, left, owner of New England Farm and Artist in West Greenwich, and Renee LaPorte, of Delectible Edibles, with whom Tapozada shares the space. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

New England Farm and Artist is part crafts store, part local organic-produce outlet and part art gallery – and it’s on the move, literally.
Opened on Aug. 24, 2013, at 1112 Main St. in Coventry, the store is relocating to 45 Nooseneck Hill Road in West Greenwich, with a grand opening set for Oct. 17, said owner Laurie Tapozada.
Started as a way to “help support and build” community, the store will retain that agenda since the new spot is just over the town line, Tapozada said. But although its annual revenue is limited, at $26,000, and there are only two full-time workers, counting Tapozada, the store is on what the owner believes is a growth trajectory.
She is planning to hire another part-time worker before the end of the year, and has partnered with another business to share overhead costs.
The new, larger location has foot traffic, unlike the old store, and is close to Interstate 95, she said.
“My idea was for the store to be a community builder,” she said. “I encourage people not just to shop but to interact with each other, because I don’t believe you can build a community without actual interaction.”
Deciding to go into business for herself came as an epiphany while driving in the spring of 2013, Tapozada said.
Living in Johnston but looking to move to Coventry, she had found herself befriending the owners of local farms like Heritage Haven Homestead in North Scituate, as well as artists, and being impressed with the amount of work it took to get farm products and artwork to market. At the same time, she was participating in a sustainability circle in Providence that emphasized discovering a sense of place – a value that differed compared to her life, which had been largely lived abroad, she said.
“I had been looking at houses,” she recalled. “I was driving and I had this thought: I could open a store and call it New England Farm and Artist. Probably everything was stewing, and it appeared in full form.”
She now lives in Coventry, so by moving to West Greenwich she is “expanding my community, not deserting my community.”
While so far relying on a consignment model, Tapozada also rents shelving space to vendors.
Building the business over the past year has resulted in working with a number of farms and vendors, she said. Besides Heritage Haven, which distributes goat-milk soap, she has established working relationships in her store with Chepachet Farm, in Glocester, for whom she sells maple products, and Travis Family Farm, in North Scituate, which supplies goat-milk soap lotion, hand-crafted potholders and hand-poured candles.
She also works regularly with Greene Goddess Farm in Coventry, selling their produce and cut flowers; Babbling Brook Farm in Foster, which supplies organic fertilizer, and Ice Pond Farm in Cranston, which sells Alpaca products.
The new, 1,500-square-foot space, which is almost double the size of the previous store, will have an art gallery in the rear, as well as a kitchen shared with Delectable Edibles. Tapozada is planning to seek certification from the R.I. Department of Health for a separate license to sell organic coffees and teas and premade baked goods.
Tapozada’s aspiration is to sell primarily produce that is all organic in origin, though it may not be certified as such, because many local producers don’t have the means to obtain certification, she said.
“I consider my business to be more of a social enterprise even though it’s a for-profit organization,” Tapozada said. “I don’t consider my social goals to be inconsistent with my business goals. The more you build community through various avenues, the more you build a loyal customer base.”
While the three primary aspects of the business – the gallery, food and crafts – are equally divided in terms of the attention given to them, sales vary. Fewer art pieces may sell, but they sell for more money, as compared with food sales, which carry lower prices but sell steadily, she said.
Art exhibits are curated and juried by artist Beth Johnston, who volunteers her services, Tapozada said.
Running the workshops, such as ceramics or encaustic painting with hot wax, also requires more space than the Coventry site had. The new location also has more parking and a field where Tapozada can hold occasional, mini outdoor farmers markets, she said.
Now that word of mouth about the store has spread, Tapozada plans some formal advertising to supplement social media and the website at http://www.farmandartist.com.
“I’m very excited about the move,” she said. “I’m making the decision in a business sense because I want the store to prosper and everybody in my store to prosper.” •

COMPANY PROFILE
New England Farm and Artist
OWNER: Laurie Tapozada
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Local arts, food and crafts
LOCATION: 45 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2013
EMPLOYEES: 2
ANNUAL SALES: $26,000

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