Afternoon Sun

Close your eyes and pretend for a minute that your toes are in the sand rather than the snow. Feel that sunshine warming your face. Thanks to Nora Alexander and Maie Liis Webb, Rhode Island has been California-ized. The East Coast natives and RISD grads have expanded their popular San Diego-based store, Noon Designs, by adding a third location right here in Providence. Offering handmade jewelry, unique body products, letterpress stationery and more, it’s the perfect spot for treasure hunting. Oh, and everything they sell is made in the U.S.

As I wandered inside, the night air whipping my back, my first hint of sun came in the form of a lemon poppyseed body scrub. One of the best things about Noon is that it provides “try me” samples of any and everything that could and should be smelled: Soaps, candles and lotions all sit at wait. To accurately describe that lemon poppyseed tub of wonderful would be a challenge; let’s just say that I bought two. In all actuality, I fell in love with a few of the other scents too: Vanilla bean and chocolate coconut were both instant mood elevators.

I was greeted warmly by Jessica Madore, Noon’s director of sales and marketing. She followed Nora and Maie Liis here to Providence. Madore was extremely helpful and accommodating, even offering to open inventory that was still boxed up in the stock room for my olfactory enjoyment. “Don’t these scrubs smell amazing?” she asked happily, as I eagerly sniffed the newest holiday scents. “I think the gingerbread is my favorite but I’ll probably end up buying them all.”

Madore pointed to the walls of displayed jewelry. “Nora makes all the jewelry herself,” she said, “and Maie Liis does all of the graphics.” Huh. I had noticed that the product labels and tags were quite cute and playful. Once again behind the counter, Madore explained that since opening the doors they’ve been quite busy – both with foot traffic and shipping products out. “We wholesale to over 200 boutiques across the country,” she said. Impressive.

I stopped to inspect... and touch (seriously, I have a problem) all of the recycled journals, coasters and notepads. I spotted a dish filed with bronze letter charms, perfect for stringing a ribbon through and using to decorate the top of a gift box. I loved how everything was organized too: jewelry in one area, soaps and body products in another and paper and stationery grouped together at the right side of the store. It’s an obsessive compulsive’s dream. I should know.

By the time all was said and done, I left with a bag full of goodies. In fact, I am wearing a few of my new “no pull” hair elastics on my wrist right now: They’re designed to look like ribbon jewelry and I’ve been stacking them like bracelets. I hear that’s how they do it out in California.