A little history about me, Jeri, and 4Creature Comforts...
Growing up in Norwell, Massachusetts, I was intrigued by my Mom’s business called, "The Cockle Shell". Mom and her best friend and neighbor, Mildred, developed a way to travel a few weeks a year by first researching and then traveling to these places in search of culture, crafts, adventure, and the sun. It started with my Mom having severe bronchitis. Her doctor recommended a break from the long winters of the Northeast. The first trip in 1955 when I was 5 years old was to sunny and warm Bermuda. This was the beginning of over thirty years of travel. Mom and Mildred would find unique handcrafted goods and ship them to Boston. They then designed educational packages with these items teamed with information about the crafting, artisans, and origin country. So creative and loved by their customers for their uniqueness and information.
I loved traveling the 45 minutes to Boston’s Logan Airport to collect Mom and Mildred. They would share fascinating stories on the ride home full of excitement while they pulled out exotic gifts for us from their travel bags.
No wonder years later when I decided to start a new career, importing came so easily to me. Mom and Mildred had installed in me a love of cultural differences and a love of traveling to explore my fascination with these discoveries. Connecting through art, I found a deep and enriching way to come to understand the peoples I visited. Working with people allowed me to see who they are in a way one doesn’t as a tourist. Honoring these people’s artistic skills has been a way to keep many labor intense arts alive and remembered.
