New England Charms relocates in North Conway Village

After more than three years in Reporter Court in North Conway Village, New England Charms and Imports Too has relocated to larger space across from Hooligans on Keasarge Street.Owner Joe Downs found he was running out of space for his collection of funky, classic and unique imports, jewelry and gifts. After Deacon's Bench moved out of its 1,700-square-foot space on Kearsarge Street, New England Charms moved in."We hope to have an expanding customer base for those who did not see us at the end of the alley," Downs said.The location not only gives the store better visibility to customers, but also more space to grow.New England Charms moved in early June and there are now four spacious rooms for displaying not only what the store has traditionally carried but also a new unique line of clothing, an expanded collection of rocks, minerals, crystals, geodes the size of a 5-year-old, glassware, handbags, a whole room dedicated to beads, accessories and new styles of sterling silver jewelry.New England Charms will soon hold bead classes for those interested in learning how to make their own creative bracelets and necklaces, a project that is still in the works."We take pride in being the biggest supplier of Italian, sterling silver, and 14-karat gold charms," Downs said.New England Charms has always been a good place to go for any type of charm bracelet. You can find charms with such New Hampshire features as the Cog Railway, covered bridges, moose and the Old Man of the Hand-painted Talevera Pottery from Mexico can still be found at New England Charms. All of the jewelry in the store is sterling silver and 14-karat gold and you can find just about anything to cover you head to toe, from necklaces, bracelets, rings, toe rings, ear cuffs and earrings, which are always buy one pair, get the second pair half off. Downs opened his first jewelry store in 1980 in Brattleboro, Vt. He then moved his store to Ogunquit, Maine, and sold it in 1993. Downs eventually made his way to the Mount Washington Valley by 2000 and opened New England Charms in November 2003. He also owns The Naked Bohemian, which opened July 2005 and is located on Reporter Court.New England Charms is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Phone is (603) 356-7880. Web site is newenglandcharms.com.