By Mary Rowley
With the start of summer finally upon us, more and more people are out walking and enjoying the warm sunny days in Greenwich.
Central Greenwich is known for its excellent shopping, and it holds a hidden gem that some people might not notice on their walk to the Avenue.
The Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work is an organization of Women’s Exchanges. The non-for-profit groups help people achieve economic stability through the consignment and sale of their fine-quality, hand-crafted items. There are locations all over the country from New York and Connecticut to Florida and Missouri.
The Greenwich location, located at 28 Sherwood Place, is in a great spot that has a homey feel with two floors of merchandise and a charming staircase. Over 200 artisan-consignors receive 67% of the sale price of their merchandise.
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The first floor consists of beautiful hand-woven baby sweaters from Argentina, booties, hats, blankets – anything baby, they’ve got it! They also have kids’ clothing and women’s clothing, and little trinkets for the house as well. For example, there is a wall full of hand knit signs to hang on the door with sayings like “Kiss the Cook” or other fun household phrases.
Upstairs is more of a home furnishings area, with these amazing towels that can be used for anything. “The beach, the bathroom, even taking them on the boat! They make a great gift,” says Tina Aronson, longtime employee of Greenwich Exchange.
“We’ve had some designers for forty years and they come out with new things all the time, so it’s really great to have.”
Mary Ellen Daly, a customer who has shopped at the Brooklyn Woman’s Exchange for almost forty years said she loves the Woman’s Exchange. “People are donating their time, and their things are very affordable and beautiful,” she said. “I always do well here! And I come here because these items, they come from the heart, and that’s something that I think is extremely important.”
The Greenwich Woman’s Exchange has another hidden secret that few locations can brag about: their stunning Garden and Holiday Cottage in their backyard.
(Garden in the summers, Holiday in the winters). This quaint little ivy-covered cottage is something out of The Secret Garden, and is filled with gorgeous consigned items such as tea sets and plates and needlepoint pillows.
Stop by the Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work to experience the magic of an organization that has helped millions of families throughout the years.
The Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work is located at 28 Sherwood Place, Greenwich CT, 06830. Tel (203) 869-0229. Like the Exchange on Facebook. Store Hours: M-F 10:00-4:00 and Sat 10:00-1:00