Variety of Major ‘Provisions’ in Connecticut

When George Washington nicknamed this state the “Provision State,” it was because Connecticut was a major source of provisions for the Colonial Army during the Revolutionary War.

This holiday season Connecticut might well resume its Colonial nickname because its fertile shopping grounds are offering lots of holiday items.

In a weathered barn on an inlet of the Housatonic on U.S. 7 between Gaylordsville and Kent’s center is the making of glass art.

After parking in a tree-lined lot by the inlet on your left (if you’re traveling north on U.S. 7), a gentle climb will take you to the shop, studio and gallery where Stephen Fellerman’s “free-blown” (i.e., no molds) glasswares are created.

For 16 years the 37-year-old Fellerman, an internationally known glass artist, has been perfecting his designs and techniques.

At Fellerman Glass, visitors (children are welcome) can watch glass items being formed. Designer and wife Clair Fellerman calls it “The choreography between the glass blower and the glass.”

As there are no scheduled demonstrations, visitors should phone ahead.

Traditional glassmaker’s tools are used--the hollow blow pipe, the solid pontil rod, the furnace where clear glass is kept and the glory hole where the object is reheated and applied with color.

Perfume bottles with stoppers and atomizers cost $80 to $120, Christmas ornaments $12 to $20.

Studio glass blower Leslie Horvath’s paper weights are $15 to $40, stocking stuffers, marbles, eggs and birds $8 to $12.

Ask to see “Amethyst Peacock” and other paintings in glass plates ($8 to $600) and a variety of vessels, lamps and baubles.

Voltaire’s sells contemporary gifts housed in a dark brown log cabin on U.S. 7 three miles north of the historic New Milford center. If you’re driving south on U.S. 7 from Fellerman Glass, Voltaire’s, with ample off-road parking, will be on your right.

Owners Alice Voltaire and her husband, sculptor John H. Seymour, display handcrafted and other gift items much as you would place them in your home.

An etched crystal fruit bowl reflects dinnerware patterns. Cordial glasses have handles of hand-tooled copper and brass (set of four, $16.95).

Seymour’s stoneware sculpture (from $180), Allen Lord’s flexible mahogany party tie ($95) and Freimarck’s richly designed pottery highlight the mix of designs and materials.

The gallery offers shelves of Sable and Rosenfelds mustards, honeys and jams, starting at $1. Other items include lamps, clocks, children’s furniture and letter openers (one of rosewood and mother of pearl in unusual designs; $26.95).

While driving through Lake Waramaug’s gateway village, New Preston, we saw New Mexican wares displayed in a Main Street window.

J. Seitz & Co., a two-year-old boutique, is a small space filled with the spirit of the vast Southwest. Coyote wood sculptures befriend New Mexican snake woodcarvings.

You’ll also find hand-painted gourds by Robert Rivera ($100 to $1,000), hand-turned lamps with a totem pole air ($525 to $750), birch bark baskets (from $11), plus rugs, robes and blankets.

Also, wrought-iron candlesticks ($69 a set) and pinon and mesquite incense ($4.50).

Menswear features Basco and Paul Smith designs. A hand-beaded label lights up a pair of $69 jeans.

Paramount to the Seitz collection are New Mexican furnishings favoring the versatile Spanish-inspired, hand-painted trastero (from $275), a cupboard with slender, simple lines.

Folk-art Christmas ornaments and red-orange chili pepper Christmas tree lights signal the season. Save time to visit the pharmacy and several other village boutiques for their specialties.

Celebrating its 18th anniversary the Workshop, a boutique and gallery central to Litchfield’s Main Street, thrives with the personal touch of its owner and founder, Jan Nelson.

A range of prices tag rare jewelry (beginning at under $20), fun baubles, silk undies, evening purses, scarfs, laces and designed day wear. You’ll find Jones of New York City, Dior, Nicole Miller and others.

The Workshop’s downstairs gallery contains rugs, tableware, lamps, bedding, wicker furniture and fine all-wood furniture accented with such items as an intricately patterned India quilt ($410), exotic Moroccan pillow ($55), silk roses ($4 each) and affordable and portable contemporary kitchen and travel gear.

A 300-year-old village in Middlesex County in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley, Chester offers much variety. Along and about Water, Main and North Main streets are shop signs advertising such stops as Wellstone Farm, The Wheatmarket, The Red Pepper, Artscape, Chester Handcraft Gallery, One of A Kind and The General Store.

Wellstone Farm, 16 Main St., is itself a potpourri of gifts. Products range from a lead, bow-tied, brick-garden ornament ($37.50) to a stash of perfumes and fragrances for men and women, room scents and soaps and oils, from $1.55 to $38.50.

English wire-plant stands accompany smaller gift items such as the Wallflower, $5.50, a glass vial vase with a suction cup.

The Wheatmarket, 4 Water St., calls itself a delicatessen and gourmet shop. Operated by Gerald Beaumier, its specialties can be eaten in, taken out or gift-ordered.

The Wheatmarket features mustards, chocolates, French preserves and many items that go into gourmet food baskets.

Extra virgin olive oils cost up to $10 for a liter. Flavored vinegars are between $6 and $7. There is an interesting selection of tinned breads and cookies from $7 to $20.

You might divide your time in Middlesex County between Chester and East Haddam, across the Connecticut River, off Connecticut 82, and reachable from Exit 7 off Connecticut 9 North, one exit from Chester’s Exit 6.

Among the many charms of East Haddam, home to Goodspeed Opera House, is The Seraph at Goodspeed Landing. It is an imposing chocolate brown and white Victorian residence with an arched red portal.

Several shops reach off from the central entry--one of women’s fashions, another a kitchen collection with a wide range of contemporary appliances.

To reach Southport, take Interstate 95 to Exit 19. At the traffic light at U.S. 1, cross over U.S. 1 and take the first left after the traffic light.

You’ll soon be in Southport, home of the Fairfield Women’s Exchange, 322 Pequot St. One of a federation of Women’s Exchanges from Arizona to Texas and one of five in the Provision State, the Fairfield Exchange not only offers a wide array of gifts but donates a percentage of its receipts to charities.

The Exchange’s five gift departments feature handmade items and distinctive manufactured wares. The food department’s consigned cakes and assorted baked goods are highlighted by a Gingerbread House (between $20 and $25) that must be ordered 10 days ahead.

The gift boutique includes Gund toys (average $26) and hard-to-find George Wells hand-hooked rugs (a small one is $225).

The consignment department has an outstanding selection of handmade children’s clothing. Paintings round out a gifted circle.

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Fellerman Glass, Route 7, Kent, Conn. 06767, phone (203) 927-3448. Closed Monday. Open weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voltaire’s, U.S. 7, Route 37, New Milford 06776, phone (203) 354-4200. Closed Sunday. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Dec. 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

J. Seitz, Route 45, New Preston 06777, phone (203) 868-0119. Open Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Workshop On the Green, Litchfield 06759, phone (203) 567-0544. At U.S. 202 and Connecticut 63. Open Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Wellstone Farm, 16 Main St., Chester 06412, phone (203) 526-2699. Closed Monday. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wheatmarket, 4 Water St., Chester 06412, phone (203) 526-9347. Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call for Sunday hours.

Seraph, Goodspeed Landing, East Haddam 06423, phone (203) 873-8381. Closed Monday. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Fairfield Women’s Exchange, 332 Pequot Ave., Southport 06490, off I-95, phone (203) 259-5138. Closed Sunday. Open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.