KENT, Conn.—It has been an anniversary year in Kent: The 250th for the country was observed with gusto on July 4 despite withering heat, and the 200th anniversary of the Kent Iron Furnace was observed by the Sloane Stanley Museum.
But there is also a quieter, less obvious anniversary being observed. It is the 40th anniversary of the ever-popular Heron Gallery, a whimsical boutique founded four decades ago by Ellen Corsell, a potter turned shopkeeper.
Corsell, now vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, founded the shop in 1986 with her then master-potter husband. “We had a ceramic studio,” she remembered, “and we opened the store as a celebration of American ceramic artists.”
As time passed, the shop became more central to Corsell’s life. “It was originally a celebration of clay,” she said, “but we expanded from there. I enjoyed doing the shop and it became such a big part of my life.”
But then, in 2022, she recognized “it was just time to do something else.”
“Susie Allen was my manager for 20 years—which was a sweet part of the story,” she said. “We were in our 70s, after all, and when Susie and I decided to sell we informed Andrea Friedman, who had been our toy representative for years. She called back a half-hour later and said, ‘I’ll buy it.’ It was an easy transition—like selling to family. That is the best part of it. When we knew we wanted to move on, it was so important for me to pass it on to someone who loves it as much as I do.”
The Friedman family took over seamlessly. Randy, Andrea, and daughter, Sophie, now guide the gallery’s future with assured hands. Like their predecessor, they have continued expansion of the store’s merchandize, gently nudging its offerings into new fields while retaining it core value of celebrating American craftsmanship.
Present still are handcrafted objets d’art—some practical, like beautiful hand-thrown pottery and blown-glass Pinzetti Glassworks creamers—and others purely whimsical such as little sculptures in metal, wood and found materials, many of them exclusive to the shop.
Baubles, bangles, and beads fill another case, equally original in design. There are lacy bracelets formed from guitar strings by the High Strung Guitar Company and others that tap out their message to “laugh” using old typewriter keys. There are earrings, necklaces and rings, literally something for every taste.
A substantial section of the store is dedicated to fine toys, games, and puzzles. There is a colorful display of multi-hued purses and pocketbooks and, while the Friedman’s have downsized the clothing section somewhat, they still have a delicious selection of casual to dressy bags, hats, dresses, skirts, scarfs, and accessories.
A corner nook at the back of the store is filled with treasures for the kitchen, with some kind of object to represent virtually every letter of the alphabet. There are air-tight floral lids for bowls, candles and coffee makers, “Shroom Grooms” and decorative spoons. Colorful Laguiole French cutlery, bread boards, brie bakers, dough troughs and fanciful trivets promise to make time in the kitchen more fun.
Heron Gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Randy and Sophie staffing the store most days.
Heron Gallery is located at 16 North Main Street in Kent; 860-927-4804.
