Midweek Mugging: Inkwell Modern Handmade Boutique

This week’s midweek mugging recipient is Andrea Rahal, owner of Inkwell Modern Handmade Boutique.

Located at 2011 Brunswick St., Inkwell is a colourful shop offering up greeting cards, pins, prints, tea cups and home decor. It has recently added local treats to its shelves as well, such as maple jam and soup mixes.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” Rahal said. “People come here for gifts; we try and have a well-rounded offering.”

Rahal, a Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduate, has a background in graphic design. The store features work from both Rahal and other independent artisans.

“I wanted to make my own products, and I had the idea that some day I could also own a store to sell my products alongside other makers’ work that I loved,” Rahal said. “I just decided to jump on it one day, and here we are seven years later.”

Rahal said she finds other makers to work with through consignment calls, blogs and Instagram. She said about half of the artists she works with are local.

When selecting pieces for the store, Rahal said she looks for creations that match Inkwell’s aesthetic.

“We’re very colour-focused, we’re very illustration-based, so it really depends on space for the product, and as long as something doesn't look too similar to another,” she said.

“I just go with my gut—if it’s something that I’d want to own, it’s something I’d carry.”

Rahal said she sees many tourists this time of year due to the store’s proximity to hotels and the harbour, but also receives many local regulars.

“We have such a loyal customer base, so I know so many people by their first names,” she said.

Rahal sells her own work at the store under the label Inkwell Originals, a line of letterpress prints designed by herself and her partner, Daniel MacDonald. The two have a small studio at the shop.

Rahal said her designs are often inspired by the coast. 

“Definitely nautical and sea-life, it’s a pretty dominant theme in our work,” she said.