The Spot: Rowan Craft Boutique, your teen’s new favorite spot to shop, hang, and workshop (and likely, yours too)
Comfort, acceptance, self-expression — isn’t that what every teen parent wishes for their child?
Well, at Rowan Craft Boutique you’ll find that all three are encouraged inside.
“I truly want people to feel safe enough here to be able to relax and express themselves,” said Bunnii Buglione about her Southold shop, Rowan Craft Boutique which was named after her Godson (and much more, just ask her!) “Whether it be through a class or workshop, having a birth chart reading or blessing ceremony, or even plopping down on the couch to browse through our books and explore different ideologies and beliefs than their own.”
Bunnii who moved to the North Fork from Nassau County nearly 11 years ago, opened Rowan Craft Boutique with her life and business partner, Jarod, earlier this year after yearning for a place where she could locally buy things like spiritual baths, incense, and prayer candles.
In addition to prayer candles, shop visitors can expect to find hand-crafted soaps, candles, jewelry, crystals sourced globally, hand-made wreaths and decor, clothing, a dried-flower bar, a small, curated collection of fairy tales and horror stories from all over the world, and more.
“We also source heavily from local artisans, providing them with a space to share their craft,” Bunnii shared. “I work with several local artists who showcase their creations here. If it looks handmade it definitely is, and even if it doesn’t, it most likely is.”
Inside Rowan you’ll also discover a gumball-style quarter machine filled with crystals, incense, and prizes like candles, and birth chart readings with all proceeds benefitting CAST.
“There was one day they [local teenagers] spent $30 in quarters to empty it. They have a blast with it, “said Bunnii. “Loose candy is also a big hit during the week. They’ll walk over during lunch to stock up.”
Rowan Craft Boutique is also home to Beauture East — an offset of a lash and brow bar in Coram. And, we can’t forget the workshops and classes which have been a huge hit, especially with the local teen population.
“We don’t stick to one craft — we do it all. I tell the kids, if it’s a craft, it’s a class,” Bunnii added. “The molded soap pouring was a huge hit. I had three girls stay up in the loft making soap ornaments for about two hours after the class ended.”
Bunnii’s favorite days are class days and there’s a solid lineup of them planned for this month for teenagers, adults, and families.
“December is packed with fun activities that I thought could translate into gifts. No Sew Snowmen on Friday, Dec. 6 will be a fun break for the kids to stop and warm up during the Holiday Stroll in Southold,” said Bunnii.
December will also host two wreath-making workshops — one for families and one for adults, a simmer pots class on Dec. 15, a DIY sublimation (a form of customizing items with heat-transferred ink) class on Dec. 21, cookie day on Dec. 22 to benefit CAST, plus more! Also, be on the lookout for school break camps.
When asked why she thinks the boutique has become a popular destination for teens, Bunnii shared, “I don’t have kids so we never saw ourselves as becoming the hot spot for teens to hang, but I guess it makes sense. We have candy for sale, complimentary hot chocolate, comfy couches, and sometimes a puppy hangs out here. At 34, I want to be here all the time for those reasons. The crafts are fun, and the crystals and metaphysical aspects of the shop make it a little edgy. I like to think my perfectly curated 2000s pop-punk playlist has something to do with it, but the kids on the couch informed me that isn’t the case.”
Rowan Craft Boutique is located at 53345 Main Rd., Building 11, Unit 2 (next to First Bank) within Feather Hill Village in Southold. Current hours of operation are Monday and Thursday from 12 to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Visit rowancraftboutique.com for the complete list of classes and events.