The newest shopping opportunity on Ocracoke recently opened for business. "Stuff" is located in the old electric company office/t-shirt shop in the Community Square, and is full of colorful and fun scarves, purses, keychains, and, well, stuff.
It's not just any stuff – co-owners Alison Stepens and Manda Holden are stocking fair trade and socially-responsible imported goods, along with eco-friendly, upcycled items they've made themselves.
Alison moved to Ocracoke a year and a half ago. She's originally from Cambridge, England, but moved to Raleigh in 1988 and raised her two kids there.
"I'm loving living on the island," she said. Last year, Alison was talking to her friend, Manda (who's also a North Carolina transplant from England), who suggested she open a shop. "I told her 'You should move to Ocracoke and open it with me!' and she did," Alison laughed.
Alison worked at the Back Porch last year, and plans to do that again this season. Manda will also be working at Dajio. She fits right in on Ocracoke, as her southwest England accent is reminiscent of the hoi toide Ocracoke Brogue.
Both women knit and do needlework. They enjoy finding old clothes at Village Thrift ("It's such a great resource," Alison said,) and turning them into new, useful items. Alison is knitting soft, absorbent bathmats out of thrift shop sheets. Manda is felting bowls and baskets. She also makes the fabric buntings that you'll see fluttering in the breeze on the porch. There are more for sale inside.
Many of the fair trade items are small and inexpensive, and appealing to young people with some pocket money to spend. The shop is already a favorite among some teenage girls I know. They needed tiny embroidered bags and pretty beaded lanyards. It's hard to differentiate between need and want, necessity and luxury, in the presence of the cool stuff at Stuff.
The non-specific nature of the word "stuff" allows the shop to keep adding more tempting goodies.
"I just liked the name," said Alison. "It doesn't nail us down to one specific area; we can change as our market evolves."
