Middleboro art and gift shop offers food for the soul for local artists

MIDDLEBORO — There's a very welcoming vibe at The Soulful Palette, a gift and art shop which opened at the start of the year on Grove Street in Middleboro.

That’s a cultivated vibe said Corinne McCarthy, co-owner, not just for customers, but for the many vendors selling their handmade products in her store at 88 Grove Street.

“We are all-inclusive. We provide a safe spot for artists to sell their art and products, and be part of a collaboration with other local artists and vendors,” said McCarthy.

One of us

McCarthy’s passion to do right with the artist stems from her own experiences. She said both she and her husband and co-owner, Steve McCarthy, worked in the culinary industry as chefs before they made the decision to have a family and become self-employed, working as crafters and in direct sales for years.

As crafters, they make items like resin tumblers, resin boards and coasters.

“I know what it's like to be a struggling artist and to rely on custom orders,” Corinne said.

Corrinne is still involved in direct sales when not in the shop, selling beauty products for Red Aspen.

Eight years of developing a network of vendors and artists through the self-employed realm has proven lucrative for the couple when it comes to filling up space at The Soulful Palette.

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What to find in the store

You can find a little bit of everything at The Soulful Palette, which currently is displaying items from about 75 different vendors, Corrine said.

Besides handmade wall art and jewelry, there’s also soap, lip gloss, and other beauty and skin products, tumblers and other drinkware, charms, wreathes, dream catchers, ornaments, tealight and other candle holders, jars, hair accessories, hand-knit bags, dolls, toys, light displays, non-perishable food items like salsa, jam, candy and cocoa, and assorted new age and spiritual products.

Corrine said the majority of vendors come from all across Massachusetts, with a few feature artists coming from out of state, like Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

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Meaning behind the name

The name of the business is a play on words that originates from their past and current careers, Corrinne said.  Corinne explained when you say “palette,” people think of a food palette, or art, or makeup. The store “combines all three,” with local artists showcasing expressions of the soul.

There’s also a little inside joke with The Soulful Palette. The acronym "tsp," also means teaspoon, a nod to their culinary careers.

Relationships with vendors

When it comes to conducting business with artists and vendors, Soulful Palette offers various options.

“We’re trying to adhere to different financial situations. We want to make everyone feel valued, heard and respected with their crafts," Corinne said.

Vendors can rent shelf space from the store, or they can pay a commission for each sold product. Vendors can also get a discount on rented space by volunteering their time in the store for teaching and workshops.

“As volunteers, they can bring their work here, which provides a different level of support where customers can watch them make their craft,” Corrine said.

'Kids Space' shows off work of budding crafters

For customers and even artists coming to the store, The Soulful Palette offers free workshop space for their kids to do arts and crafts, utilizing donated materials, like t-shirts, paints, and glitter.

There’s also a separate section of the store, the Kids Space, where the works made in the workshop can be displayed and even sold, “like mini-vendors,” said Corinne, who said the kids get 100% commission if they are bought.

Corrine said there are even a few actual child entrepreneurs, with permission from their parents, selling products in The Soulful Palette, like lip gloss, polished worry stones and non-toxic slime.

Studio space, workshops, reiki and more

The Soulful Palette is offering studio space for artists to conduct classes and workshops around their specific crafts.

Corinne said they are also looking to book other classes and events, such as reiki, yoga, and other holistic and new age activities.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Soulful Palette gift, craft and art shop opens in Middleboro