Nantucket boutique owner opens shop in Chestnut Hill

Posted 5/24/18

Inside the Atlantic boutique in Chestnut Hill. (Photo by Mia Humphreys) by Mia Humphreys Tucked between Threadwell and Roots, a high-ceilinged, light-filled space is home to a newly opened Chestnut …

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Nantucket boutique owner opens shop in Chestnut Hill

Posted

Inside the Atlantic boutique in Chestnut Hill. (Photo by Mia Humphreys)

by Mia Humphreys

Tucked between Threadwell and Roots, a high-ceilinged, light-filled space is home to a newly opened Chestnut Hill boutique, The Atlantic.

Located at 8434 Germantown Ave., the Atlantic carries an impressive collection of boutique designer women’s clothing, accessories and small housewares. Each piece is chosen by owner Colleen Darby Wurts, a longtime Chestnut Hill resident who started her business in Nantucket in 2007, selling mainly antique furniture.

The business expanded to include a range of home decoration and clothing, and was named by Architectural Digest in 2017 as one of the “Best Home Decor Stores in New England.” The Chestnut Hill store was born when Wurts’ son left for college and she found herself wanting a new endeavor.

“[My son] was in school and working the summers was sort of enough, and now that he’s gone away to college I felt like it was just sort of time.”

The Atlantic is housed in one of Germantown Avenue’s historic storefronts, with hardwood floors and exposed beam ceilings. The history of the Avenue is what attracted Wurts to the space. She describes Chestnut Hill as “a beautiful destination and a great community, where people come to stroll and browse the shops. “I think people are glad to have another option.”

With an MFA from New York University, Wurts’ spent years living and working as a choreographer abroad. She spent time in London, Santiago, and Singapore, before studying interior design at Parsons, and eventually marrying and settling in Chestnut Hill. She now spends summers in Nantucket, and her falls traveling throughout Europe, buying for her stores. The rest of her time is spent at her Chestnut Hill home.

Wurts buys most of her merchandise from European designers, with some pieces originating in Australia or Japan. She prides herself on cultivating a relationship with each designer, and selecting pieces that are not widely available in the States or online. With such small designers, the items are carefully designed and constructed.

“It’s not about the label, it’s about the quality,” she said.

Each designer has his or her own unique style, which translates into their pieces.

“The most important thing for me is that I come from the artist side of it,” Wurts said, “It makes a difference, I think, because of my relationship with my designers. They’re very authentic with what they do.”

You won’t find these store items online, or anywhere else for that matter. This is done on purpose. Pointing to a gingham cotton blouse, Wurts describes her process:

“My order is made specifically for me. That top – I might be the only person in the world with that top, because I ordered it. So they’ll say we have these 20 fabrics we’re willing to make that top in and I pick mine, and they make it for me.”

Even within the store, the pieces are unique.

“I’m really going to try hard to bring one or two of everything, so that it remains special.” Wurts said.

The Atlantic does not have a website. Staying offline is an effort to preserve distinct identities of the pieces, and the “brick and mortar” that is fading out of the retail world. The idea is to make coming into the store a distinct experience in itself for shoppers.

“Even if they don’t buy anything, it’s a visual experience,” Wurts said. “It’s about getting away from your day and walking into a beautiful store.”

The Atlantic is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It can be reached at 215-842-5924.

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