Inside Dugazon an Antiques and Home Goods Shop in Sharon, Connecticut

In celebration of co-owner Bobby Graham’s Louisiana heritage, the shop sells a selection of creole spices, hot sauces, pepper jellies, and, of course, Café du Monde coffee.

Graham and his husband, Matthew Marden, opened Dugazon in Sharon in 2025.

An alcove displays aprons and table linens from France, a favorite place for the couple to source items; those are vintage rattan placemats stacked on the chair.

ster & Erik’s made-in-Denmark taper candles and paintings from Alvin Batiste infuse the shop with color (yes, that’s a collection of yardsticks in the pewter urn).

Cake stands from Il Buco Vita.

Cannisters from Il Buco Vita.

It was June 2004, and Bobby Graham and Matthew Marden were on their first date. As they chatted over Japanese food at New York City’s Matsuri, Graham confessed that he’d always wanted his own curios and home goods shop. He even had a name (and a storyboard) for it: Dugazon, the surname of his mother’s family, who immigrated to New Orleans from France in 1851.

City life moves fast, though, and Graham and Marden stayed focused on their publishing careers at Details magazine. Seeking to slow down, the couple purchased a weekend home in Salisbury during the pandemic.

“We immediately realized we were in a place where opening a shop seemed feasible,” says Marden. “We were both ready to move on from our jobs and saw that we could realize a dream in a place that had a need but was still close to the city.” A circa-1900 Victorian farmhouse in nearby Sharon ticked the right boxes: it felt and looked like a home, and it was in the center of town. The 1,500-square-foot Dugazon officially opened its doors in August 2025.

Inside, shoppers find a constantly (think daily) evolving mix of antiques, vintage items, and new treasures, each with a story that Graham and Marden love to share. There’s the colorful display of Ester & Erik taper candles, a gallery wall of whimsical paintings by Alvin Batiste, who’s based in southern Louisiana, and a variety of foodstuffs from the Bayou State. The couple recently began selling the full scope of John Derian—“a dream come true,” says Graham—and a selection of new and vintage cookbooks nod to Graham’s mom’s extensive collection. Local potters DBO Home and Barbara Ensor are showcased alongside antique silver and glassware.

In keeping with the Southern theme, Dugazon plays host to community events such as book signings and readings. Says Graham, “There’s a sense of hospitality in everything we do.” Dugazon, Sharon, dugazonshop.com