Many people have asked us for the detailed story of how we conceived Piper and Dune, so here it is!
Matt and I wanted to start a business dedicated to all the things we love about New England. After spending a week on the beach with some of our oldest friends, we were completely overcome with nostalgic childhood memories, we reminisced non-stop. The adventures we have experienced as children and young adults in this area hold a special place in our hearts. We wanted to share or in some cases remind others of all the wonderful things New England has to offer- their style, their traditions and their favorite recreational pastimes. It was this trip down memory lane when we decided that it would be fun to create a store that carries products that match the tastes and styles of people in New England and that reminded us of our favorite places. Matt, named the business Piper and Dune, to reflect our love of the seashore and with that, we started our journey…
We both grew up in Connecticut and spent what felt like endless summers building sandcastles, camping and fishing on the beaches and lake sides along the New England coastline. Matt loves to talk about his camping memories at Cards Campground in Rhode Island, summers on Block Island at his Great Aunt Evelyn's house, Boating on Narragansett Bay and more. I remember my Grandpa Casey teaching me how to clam with my feet on Laurel Beach by detecting what looked like an old-fashioned key hole in the sand. As we got older we would spend long, warm summer nights with our friends gathering around a bonfire on the beach, playing baseball on a sandbar -right through sun set. We wanted to create a store that inspires others to bring back the memories of those special places and to take the time to make new ones too.
We cannot help but smile when we recall the many trips piling into our family’s station wagons, squeezing in between umbrellas, coolers, bags with blankets and towels, and driving to all points north and east to finally feel our feet in the warm sand. We’d break out our coolers filled with our favorite beverages and snacks, and play the hottest music of the day on our 8-Track or Cassette players. We’d meet with our friends to go clamming, boating, sailing, tubing, skiing, bike riding… Having the time of our lives doing the simplest things, but in the best company. In the evening we’d watch fireworks on the beach or go to a drive-in movie. In the colder months we were always sledding, building igloo forts, skiing and playing pond hockey. It was simpler times; nobody needed to track us down, because there were no cell phones, nobody was micromanaging our schedules — it was FREEDOM in its purest form! I bet you share some of these same memories too!
We hope to inspire you in future blogs to visit some of favorite or New England destinations - to get out there and experience life outside your office, outside your car (where you live toting kids from scheduled activity to scheduled activity), or outside the city.
Here's some fun pictures to share with all of you that will get you feeling nostalgic too!
