Let’s go Shopping at Milton Market
January 3, 2024
Makers meet the community at this Litchfield, Connecticut, store.
Text by Tovah Martinâ   Photography by Bleacher + Everard
![CTWIN24_Milton Market_02 Exterior of Milton Market](https://i0.wp.com/nehomemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/CTWIN24_Milton-Market_02.jpg?w=439&h=270&ssl=1)
Litchfieldâs Main Street is legendary for its window shopping and historic ambience, but at the end of an adjacent alleyway, Cobble Court takes the time warp to another level. Weathered brick buildings with century-worn wooden doors hung on hand-forged hardware surround a cobbled courtyard where wagons once maneuvered.
Nobody with even the slightest glimmer of interest in shopkeeping could resist the draw of that courtyard, least of all Martha Fish. Not only was Fish weary from her weekly commute from Litchfieldâs Milton neighborhood to her job in New York Cityâs fashion district, but she was also tired of schlepping entertaining essentials. âIf I wanted glassware, serving platters, candlesticks, or so many other practical elements, I had to bring them from the city,â she says. âThere was nowhere to get tabletop locally at the time.â When much-coveted retail space in Cobble Court became available in 2019, she nabbed it, and Milton Market came to life.
âItâs like a muse,â Fish says of Milton Marketâs location. Halfway between Boston and New York, the building was once a blacksmith shop serving the stable next door. After whitewashing the interiorâs formerly drab, gray-painted brick to give it a glow, Fish went hunting for artisans to fill domestic needs with beautiful objects. She didnât have to search far; the neighborhood turned out to be teeming with talent. Before long, Milton Market became a liaison between local craftsmen and the community.
With its layered patinas, the shop balances sparkle and sleek with soft and nubby. Contemporary stemware is displayed beside vintage transferware and yellowware, while matte-glazed ceramics from local potters like Judy Jackson and Ben Wolff rest nearby. Snuggly wool products from the flock at Farmingtonâs Hill-Stead Museum are thrown over a bespoke plywood chair. âEverything has a story,â Fish explains, âeverything adds richness. Itâs the juxtaposition between modernity and artisanal.â And nothing is self-important. âI donât want it to feel reverential,â she says. âThe merchandise should be dimensional, interesting, and dynamic.â
But thereâs another layer to the formula: Fish uses the space to host demonstrations and workshops. That might be her proudest moment. More than just a shopkeeper, Fish sees herself as a conduit. âOne artisan leads to the next. My goal is to create community around a new generation of creatives.â Milton Market, Litchfield, miltonmarketct.com
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