In this installment of our holiday shopping series, we talk to Chris Meier, owner of Against the Grain on Main Street.
Here’s our exchange.
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Handmade chess board and pieces, maple and oak, $349 at Against the Grain, 91 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
New Canaanite: For our readers who may not know your store, please give us some background about Against the Grain and an overview of what you have here, how it all ties together.
Chris Meier: Been here eight years. What we do is we rotate. We do a lot of outdoor furniture in the spring and summer. We work with Amish craftsmen, we sell teak line concrete tables, but the poly lumber Adirondack chairs—the recycled plastic—that’s probably our best seller in the summer. But for the holidays, we load up on small handcrafted gifts. Most of it’s made in the U. S. We have some made in Vietnam, these bamboo bowls have been extremely popular.
Handmade bamboo salad bowl with servers, $75 together (bowl alone is $50) at Against the Grain, 91 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
What are some of the hotter items this season?
Our best sellers are these handmade bamboo bowls made in Vietnam. They’ve got amazing colors, very durable. They’ve got a lacquer finish. Very light, great for salads and pastas. These are definitely one of our best sellers. Games and puzzles, kind of the time before iPads and iPhones. They’re very difficult, make kids think, hands on. It’s something that’s kind of a lost art now. So we’ve been selling a lot of the puzzles and games. The bird feeders are very popular. It’s a company in Mississippi that sells these handmade. Some of them are Amish-made in Pennsylvania.
Roland Pine perfumed soy candles, Siberian fir pine and cilantro, $20 to $40 at Against the Grain, 91 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
What’s it like to be a retailer in New Canaan during the holidays?
We get a lot of good walking traffic for the holidays. It’s definitely our busiest time. December is where we get the most walking traffic. A lot of people discover my store in December, which is great. Then they see the furniture and they come back in the spring. So it’s really good marketing for you to have people walking around the town and coming in. But now is definitely the busiest time as far as traffic.
Hartwood hand-crafted bird feeders, ranging $50 to $150 at Against the Grain, 91 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
What would you say to someone who, maybe they’re new to town—we have a lot of new residents—someone who maybe hasn’t had a chance to stop in, but would like to shop locally for Christmas. What would you say about Against the Grain?
If you’re looking for something unique, something different, everything is very good quality. We make sure to find the best quality items. If you’re looking for housewarming gifts, if you’re looking for a gift for a child, adults, we have a wide range for all ages, all styles.
Against the Grain at 91 Main St. (here on Instagram and Facebook) is open seven days per week, 11-5 Sun-Weds, 10-5 Thurs-Fri and 10-6 Sat.