Fresh finds at Ivy's Collective

The scent of baked goods by Blue Gate draws one into Ivy's Collective, and the inviting interior imbues a sense of home.
Cynthia Hochswender
The scent of baked goods by Blue Gate draws one into Ivy's Collective, and the inviting interior imbues a sense of home.
Tucked into the woods at the southeastern edge of Sharon for many years was an abandoned property, the former site of a beloved garden center called Nora’s.
Ivy and Daniel Kramp often drove by the old Nora’s, after moving part-time to Sharon in 2015 (both are successful realtors in New York City). It ignited a dream for Ivy, who had always loved interior design.
“One of our favorite things to do up here is go to estate sales,” she said.
“But everything is always so expensive,” Daniel said. “We go, we see the prices, we walk out.”
In September 2023, the couple decided to buy the former Nora’s and open it under a new name: Ivy’s Collective.
“It was a passion project,” Ivy said. “We wanted to create curated, approachable estate sales that went on all year long.”
But because they are in the city all week, they needed to find just the right person to execute that dream. Through a mutual friend they were connected to Liz Macaire, who had recently launched an estate clearance business.
“I was starting to run out of space for all the things I was selling on commission for my clients,” she said. She met Daniel and Ivy at the perfect time — and not long after, made another important connection, with Simon Kristoph, a former visual director for a high-end fashion store. He’d just moved to Litchfield County, and immediately teamed up with Macaire, creating the new Macaire + Kristoph Studio (they recently opened a second location in West Cornwall).
When the foursome are together at Ivy’s Collective, the energy in the shop is electric.
“It’s always a party in this place,” Macaire said.
Adding to the party atmosphere are the croissants and hot breakfasts served at the popular bakery at Ivy’s Collective, called Blue Gate Bakery. The space is zoned for only three uses: an antique store, a bakery, and a garden center. The Collective now has all three.
Because Blue Gate is a bakery and not a cafe, there is no dedicated seating. Customers often come in and sit on the pieces that are for sale. It ignites their imaginations.
“People come in for a croissant, and leave with a table or a lamp,” Macaire said.
As Realtors, the Kramps are familiar with the important part that imagination plays in the sale of furniture or property. They always recommend “staging,” which involves clearing out many of the seller’s more personal items, and adding attractive and appropriate furnishings that enhance the space.
“It’s non-negotiable,” Daniel said of staging. “You’re selling the vision of living in a space — versus showing buyers empty rooms and dusty shelves. It helps people see past the clutter or the emptiness.”
Both Daniel and Ivy Kramp are already expert stagers, but they can also now work with Macaire and Kristoph, who are experienced stylists and also have a bounty of consignment furnishings available to fit every space.
“Other people do staging, or interior design, or moving, or estate sales,” Macaire said. “We provide all those services in one place.”
Stop by Ivy’s Collective to meet the team between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 2 Route 7 in Sharon, just before the bridge (and get a delicious treat at the Blue Gate Farm Bakery). The new West Cornwall Macaire + Kristoph Studio is at 406 Sharon/Goshen Turnpike, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find Macaire and Kristoph at www.macairekristoph.com.
AMENIA — Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44.
On Wednesday, August 20, the crew was checking excavation lines.
Work is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks. Residents should anticipate minor traffic delays.
Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44. On Wednesday, August 20, excavation began. Project Manager Don D. was at the controls of the excavation equipment.Photo by Leila Hawken
In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.
Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.
In 2023, Lourie formed Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut with two objectives: to promote the game in the northwest corner of the state and to teach it to children and adults interested in learning. In addition to the Wednesday sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, an informal, casual group meets at Le Gamin in Sharon every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Acting as co-chairman is Ed Corey who leads the Le Gamin sessions, offering advice and instruction. Both Corey and Lourie play competitively and have distinguished themselves by winning tournaments. There are no fees for participation at either Hotchkiss or Le Gamin. Children, ages 8 and up, are welcome to come and learn the game, along with adults of any experience level.
Lourie says that he can teach a person to play competitively in three lessons.
Sessions at The Hotchkiss Library will continue until the end of the year and perhaps beyond, depending on interest. Lourie will be the instructor until mid-November, when expert player Ed Corey will assume responsibility for the sessions at the Hotchkiss Library.
“We’re hoping for more people and also to see youngsters participating and learning the game,” Lourie said.
“The beginner can be the expert with the right dice,” said Lourie, explaining that it is a game combining chance and strategy. An understanding of mathematics and probability can be helpful.
Lourie summarized the randomness of dice and the strategy of poker. “I want to know the proper etiquette,” Kaufman offered, intent on knowing more about the proper moves, although her play indicated a credible level of skill.
Stopping in to observe the Hotchkiss session, executive director of the library, Gretchen Hachmeister said, “We know that people come to library game sessions. People love games, getting together to learn something new.”
Lourie learned the game under extremely unusual circumstances — as a detainee in a Soviet prison during the1960s missile crisis, while working in Naval Engineering to decipher code for the U.S. Office of Technological Security.
Imprisonment was not terrible, he said. There was predictable questioning by day when he repeated daily the details of his cover story. But at night, the guards — many the same age as the detainees — had finished their shifts and of interrogation.They unplugged the cameras to brew tea and the backgammon games would begin. That was how Lourie learned the game and became an expert.
Board games date back 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. Modern backgammon goes back to 17th-century England, having evolved from a 16th-century game called “Irish.”It grew in popularity in the 1960s, leading to formation of a World Backgammon Club in Manhattan. And then in 2023, Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut came to be.
To learn more about the Backgammon sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, visit: www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org or contact Lourie directly at Rlourie@gmail.com.
Pantry essentials at Dugazon
You are invited to celebrate the opening of Dugazon, a home and lifestyle shop located in a clapboard cottage at 19 West Main Street, the former site of The Edward in Sharon. The opening is Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.
After careers in the world of fashion, Salisbury residents Bobby Graham and his husband, Matt Marden, have curated a collection of beautiful items that reflect their sense of design, love of hospitality, and Graham’s deep Southern roots. Dugazon is his maternal family name.
“My Louisiana roots come from my mother’s family in Baton Rouge via New Orleans where many of my memories of cooking, food, antiquing, flea markets, hospitality, entertaining, originate,” Graham said.“Being raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, enhanced the importance of community, family, friends and regional cultures, forming the essence of Dugazon.”
Graham and Marden sat on the front porch telling the story of their shop’s evolution. With its wicker loveseats and geraniums in bloom, the old porch invites visitors to linger.
Matt Marden and Bobby Graham open Dugazonat 19 West Main St.in Sharon on Aug 27. Jennifer Almquist
“Bobby has been talking about Dugazon ever since our first date 21 years ago,” Marden said smiling. “I could not be more thrilled that his dream has finally become our reality.”
Graham laughed, then shared their hope that Dugazon embodies the spirit of lagniappe, a French concept of “adding a little extra to bring unexpected kindness, generosity and delight into everyday life.”
Marden worked at Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City. “Town & Country” recruited him to cover men’s fashion. He became fashion director of “Details” magazine and later style director for “Esquire” magazine.
Graham spent 24 years at Condé Nast as a Fashion and luxury advertising sales executive for “Vogue,” “GQ,” “Vanity Fair,” “AD,” and “The New Yorker.”
Within their light-filled shop, unique antiques and vintage cookbooks mix with kitchen necessities such as wooden spoons and cutting boards. Dugazon is bursting with elegant and functional items ranging from designer John Derian treasures to Louisiana hot sauce, luxurious table linens from Milan-based La Double J, and pantry essentials including Café Du Monde beignet mix, Mam Papaul’s jambalaya fixings, and various jams.
Scandinavian 19-inch tapered candles from creators ester & erik are available in 30 colors. Other offerings include vivid naïve paintings by New Orleans-born artist Alvin Batiste, who now works out of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and paper goods designed by Marden’s first cousin, Carey Marden Shaulus.
Alvin Batiste paintings and ester& erik candles on display at Dugazon.Jeff Holt
“Dugazon becoming a reality has been a lifelong dream that comes from deep in my creative soul,” Graham said.“My experiences and memories from my roots, family and friends is what Dugazon is all about. Being able to share this with the world means everything to us.”
Dugazon opens Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Phone: 860-397-5196
Instagram:@dugazonshop
Website:www.dugazonshop.com