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Artisanal Birdhouses on View in Blue Hill, Maine

By Gisela Williams

For much of her career, the entrepreneur and ceramist Em Gift has supported other people’s projects, working behind the scenes at the San Francisco-based boutiques Gravel & Gold and Reliquary, where she is currently CFO. But last year, when a friend told her about an available commercial space on the central thoroughfare in Blue Hill, Maine, “I thought, ‘Why not?’ ” Gift says. She arrived in Maine 12 years ago to do a residency at Watershed, a center for ceramic arts, and loved the area so much she stayed; she lives in Brooklin, another town on Maine’s Blue Hill Peninsula, about a three-hour drive north of Portland. In June 2024 she opened Working Loose, named after a ’70s Quaker-inspired book about the importance of vocation over work. “I wanted to create a hub that was about art and community,” she says. “Commerce is definitely secondary.” In the 1,600-square-foot space that was originally a pharmacy, Gift sells everything from Hyperlite Mountain Gear camping equipment to Captain Blankenship bath products, a selection of ironic bumper stickers and Maine-friendly clothing, including wide-legged cotton pants from the Los Angeles brand Meals. Over the past year, Working Loose has hosted concerts, a community karaoke night and a leather-sandal-making workshop. At the back of the boutique is an exhibition space. Last month, in collaboration with the Miami-based gallerist Nina Johnson, who lives nearby during the summer, Gift opened a show featuring birdhouses created by artists including Katie Stout and Minjae Kim. The display has sparked other events: On Saturday, Aug. 2, the expert birder Evan Obercian will lead a late afternoon walk to identify local bird species. “Birdhouse” is on view through Sept. 1 at Working Loose, Blue Hill, Maine, workingloose.com.

Click here to read the full article on The New York Times.