Carla’s Story
Carla Perkins comes from a long line of shop owners. Her great grandmother started a general store in northern Maine after the Civil War. Her grandmother and mother opened the gift shop, the Fife & Drum, in Kennebunkport in the early 1960s. A corner in that store proved to Carla that she had the creativity, chutzpah and drive to run her own business.
“I loved to sew and made long wraparound skirts, all the rage in the late 60s. They sold for $40 each and flew off the shelves, so I made matching ties for the men the next year, which were also a big hit,” says Carla. “Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau loved them and bought many while he was in office. He even urged members of the Canadian Parliament to go to buy the ties, and they did, making them even more popular. Then I began sewing blazers and jackets. I had two small children and was president of the local PTA, so I’d stay up all night sewing to bring into the shop the next morning.”
Carla spent the winter in New York City combing through the garment district finding ribbons, buttons and threads, always looking for new ideas and unique fabrics, then she’d return the next summer to Kennebunkport with new clothes to sell, reflected to this day in the sophisticated and fashionable merchandise: sweaters from Denmark, the St. James line from France, items from London and Portugal. “I’m proud to be the owner of a clothing shop that’s thriving. People ask me if what I do is hard work, and I say ‘it’s never hard when you love what you do.’”