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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Monica Sprague, owner of Creativity Around the Corner, located on the Albair Road in Caribou, offers handmade jewelry and other arts and crafts for sale in her gift shop. |
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Tucked away in a quiet rural development about three and a half miles from town on the Albair Road in Caribou is a quaint little gift shop called Creativity Around the Corner. Opened since May, the wooden shed turned shop houses handmade jewelry, artwork, photographs, poetry and hand-drawn greeting and post cards, among other creations.
Owner Monica Sprague, who always had a fondness for arts and crafts, had dreamt of owning her own gift shop for years.
“My mother and father were both creative, and it just rubbed off on me,” Monica said.
Originally from a small town in Massachusetts, Monica moved to Caribou 10 years ago after marrying her husband, Elmer Sprague. Elmer began his own plowing and landscaping business, Git’er Done Snow Removal, last winter, and the success of that venture inspired Monica to turn one of the couple’s storage sheds into Creativity Around the Corner.
One of the featured items in the shop are poems written by Monica’s mother, Emilie Legassey, before she died in 1995. Monica recreated the poems and framed them, offering them for sale as pieces of folk art.
“I had all of these poems she’d written,” Monica said, “and thought they should be shared with others.”
Arts and crafts are not the only items Monica will be selling at the shop. In a few weeks, she plans on having a vegetable stand as well, though, admittedly, it’s been a rough year for growing.
“Oh, my goodness, this garden might do me in!” Monica laughed. “All the rain and frost has been really bad for gardens. That’s what’s hurting a lot of people.”
After a couple of unseasonable frosts claimed most of the 600 seedlings Monica once had started on her dining room table, she replanted everything and her garden is now thriving. Most of the harvest, including lettuce and onion tops, should be ready to pick and sell in a few weeks. Romaine lettuce, picked fresh upon request, is ready now at $1.50 per quart-bag.
“I will advertise around town and put a sign at the end of the Powers Road when all the vegetables are ready,” Monica advised.
Monica hopes that the vegetable stand will attract more customers to Creativity Around the Corner.
“I haven’t sold a lot yet,” Monica admitted, “but I think once the vegetables are ready, business will pick up and hopefully word of the shop will spread.”
Creativity Around the Corner and Git’er Done Snow Removal are both located at 849 Albair Road in Caribou. Elmer serves north Caribou businesses and residents and has also added a large backhoe to his tractor to provide groundwork for customers throughout the year.
“Elmer has been in a tractor since he was 7,” Monica boasted about her husband. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Monica’s shop is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Both Monica and Elmer can be reached at 498-3445 or via e-mail at spraguemrs@gmail.com. Creativity Around the Corner can also be found on Facebook.
