Shop Front: Aesthetic is the watchword at Chalk & Easel

Supporting local businesses has never been more important

Mon, 07 Sep, 2020 - 06:00

When Emily Connell relocated from Dublin to the village of Ballinspittle just outside Kinsale, in search of the quiet life, she knew that she wanted to pursue her dream of working creatively.

Her passion grew into Chalk & Easel, a store curating a collection of gifts, art and interior pick-me-ups carefully selected for their natural, environmentally friendly materials and production methods.

“My mission is to products designed to make customers happy, with a strong focus on function followed closely by aesthetics,” she explains.

Aesthetic is the watchword at Chalk & Easel, where each product is lovingly chosen and displayed to showcase its purpose.

From lamps to linen throws to art by local painters, the collection in store works hard to give you a sense of the wilds of West Cork and beyond. Walking through the door is like walking into someone’s ultra chic sitting room.

Brushed-wood cabinets, house trinkets and smellies, like soap and lotion melts by eco brand Savon Stories as well as candles by local brand La Bougie sit under glass cloches, conserving their heady aroma.

Like all local businesses, lockdown has posed challenges to Chalk & Easel, but thanks to a local customer base, Emily Connell is confident about the future.

“During lockdown I used the gift of time to launch my website Chalkandeasel.ie,” she says.

“It took off immediately with orders from all over Ireland. Since reopening the shop in June I’m overwhelmed by the support from loyal locals and Irish holidaymakers. I try to live by this quote by RS Gray: ‘she believed, so she did.’”

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MUST HAVE

Leather Babouche Basic Slippers (€29) are created by artisans in Morocco.

These leather slippers will transform your tootsies and keep your feet cosy in the winter months.

They soften beautifully as they age and are available in a range of colours to suit both men and women.

Skin Saviour by Dublin Herbalists (€12.95) is a multi-use balm that works on bites, stings, spots and crucially, hands that are suffering from rigorous sanitising.