Heart and Soul Boutique and Studio opens with ‘eclectic’ goods and community mission
Co-owners of the Heart and Soul Boutique and Studio, Kathy McRae, left, and Melissa Oddi-Morrison pose at the new shop at 514 Main St. business suites in Lakeville, Saturday, Sept. 27. Photos by Sam Tucker
Customers shop through the boutique after the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday.
Customers will find a number of Lakeville themed goods at the boutique.
Pottery works by Shelley Smith are on display. Smith is one of the many new business owners who are vending at the boutique, McRae said.
Sea-shell themed jewelry is displayed.
Art works made of wood-cut figurines and drift wood are displayed.
Art comes in many fashions at the boutique, from handmade goods to oil, watercolor and pencil drawn art pieces.
Earrings hang on a display. McRae said of the roughly 32 vendors who sell at the boutique, almost all are area-artisans.
Co-owners of the Heart and Soul Boutique and Studio, Kathy McRae, left, and Melissa Oddi-Morrison pose at the new shop at 514 Main St. business suites in Lakeville, Saturday, Sept. 27. Photos by Sam Tucker
Customers shop through the boutique after the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday.
Customers will find a number of Lakeville themed goods at the boutique.
Pottery works by Shelley Smith are on display. Smith is one of the many new business owners who are vending at the boutique, McRae said.
Sea-shell themed jewelry is displayed.
Art works made of wood-cut figurines and drift wood are displayed.
Art comes in many fashions at the boutique, from handmade goods to oil, watercolor and pencil drawn art pieces.
Earrings hang on a display. McRae said of the roughly 32 vendors who sell at the boutique, almost all are area-artisans.
LAKEVILLE — A new art boutique and studio on Main Street aims to highlight area artisans and provide outreach for people with disabilities.
Co-owners Kathy McRae and Melissa Oddi-Morrison said they opened the new arts-and-crafts artisan shop to offer a community-based art boutique and workshop studio with a vision to support and employ people with disabilities.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Heart and Soul Boutique and Studio in the 514 Main St. business suites Saturday, Sept. 27.
McRae, who recently retired from a 30-year-career as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, said opening the boutique with Oddi-Morrison is something the two have “always wanted to do.”
She said at the boutique, “people will find an eclectic group of artwork from passionate people that want to give back to the community.”
After decades of long commutes between her home in Taunton and her job in Cambridge, McRae decided it was time to direct her creative passion into opening an artisan boutique. Although she majored in chemistry, an arts minor and a part-time photography business have always kept her with “one foot in the art realm," she said.
The owners first met as classmates at Taunton High School, and McRae later began teaching drawing and cooking classes at The Heart in Art, an art and life-skills non-profit that specializes in working with people with disabilities — owned and operated by Oddi-Morrison.
McRae said although their careers over the last 30 years have differed, the owners’ shared creative passions have always remained.
Oddi-Morrison, a Middleboro resident, opened the nonprofit a few doors down from the boutique in 2018. She has taught students with disabilities at various schools including the Early Memorial Childhood Center in Middleboro, and she currently teaches at the Chamberlain International School.
Both owners said the boutique is a combination of their passions and expertises.
“Once we become profitable here, it is our goal to be able to hire people with disabilities to work in retail, but also help in the studio and have more integration between the neurotypical community and their local community,” McRae said.
Various arts-centered classes and events at The Heart in Art specialize in educating and supporting people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Classes include drawing, painting, graphic design, musical drumming, yoga and cooking.
“It seems to all work together. We hope to do internships with the high schools, and especially people with disabilities or in the transitionary programs. We're very excited to bring all the different elements together as we get a little deeper,” Oddi-Morrison said.
A myriad of handmade goods that include jewelry, pottery, home decor, candles, coffee, oil paintings, pencil drawings and more fill the boutique’s shelves.
McRae said almost all of the 32 vendors who sell at the shop are area-artisans — and more than a few are former classmates from Taunton High School and even past students of Oddi-Morrison.
Shelley Smith was one of these classmates.
Smith, a Taunton resident and owner of Smith’s Pottery, said she's become “super crafty” since her high school days. Last year, she began a new creative endeavor sculpting ceramic bowls and crockpots.
“Since I'm not really at the point to have an online outlet yet or anything like that, it's just awesome to sell here,” Smith said.
McRae said while some vendors are already established, many of the products come from first-time art vendors just starting their businesses.
The owners said the boutique’s workshops will include moth pinning, mosaics, wooden signs, polymer clay earrings, charcuterie boards and sea glass Christmas trees. A number of the classes will be taught by vendors who sell their products at the shop.
“People are going to get a shopping experience of local artisans they may not see in regular stores,” said Oddi-Morrison. "We want them to be able to start their little adventures off of our adventure.”
To stay up to date with workshop information and other offerings at the shop, visit the Heart and Soul Boutique and Studio Facebook page.
