Paper Rock Scissors, a boutique retail store and art gallery in St. Michaels invites the public to its grand opening party at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
The party is from 5-7 p.m. and will feature live painting, music from local musician Jayme Ploff and light refreshments. Housed inside a former flour mill, Paper Rock Scissors is at 605 South Talbot Street, Unit 7 in the old mill complex. Owners Liz Cowee and Cara Gibbons-Neff have retained the space’s original beams, posts and floors.
“The mill was a perfect rustic back drop for our eclectic style, mixing and matching old and new, East and West, luxe and humble, showy and quiet,” Cowee said. “We have filled our space with objects we love and unique finds that strike our fancy.”
Paper Rock Scissors will offer hand-crafted gifts, jewelry and décor from small studio artisans across the world. Many items are one of a kind. Items available include children’s bedding from a designer in Montreal, printed textiles, forged railroad tie oyster shuckers, hand blown glassware, enamel jewelry, painted canvas purses, European children’s clothes, linen cushions and towels, wood and metal men’s wallets, sailcloth bags, pottery, wood and concrete kitchenware and so much more.
Both local artists, Cowee and Gibbons-Neff just love to make stuff. They recognize the artistry and value in designer created products and are committed to representing a high quality of aesthetics and imaginative design.
Cowee designs jewelry for her own line – Small Ant Workshop. Gibbons-Neff draws, paints and experiments with other mediums. Cowee and Gibbons-Neff plan to offer adult and children craft classes and to have local and visiting artists offer workshops. The boutique also will serve as a full-time art studio for Cowee and Gibbons-Neff.
A Talbot County native, Cowee studied jewelry design and fabrication at the Gemological Institute of America and has worked designing for several well-known handcraft artists in California and Vermont. Originally from Annapolis, Gibbons-Neff studied creative writing and studio painting at Old Dominion University. For the past eight years she had been living in Scandinavia teaching art to preschoolers.
Paper Rock Scissors LLC opened in May 2014 and is a partnership between Liz Cowee and Cara Gibbons-Neff. The retail store is at 605 South Talbot Street, unit 7 in the Mill of St. Michaels. Find Paper Rock Scissors on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PaperRockScissorsLLC
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