New gift shop on State Road provides a home for over fifty small businesses
Mar 2, 2024
The new gift shop is in the strip mall just before Slocum Road. Photos by Sean Flannelly
Amanda Alcaidinho and her daughter officially open 3GenLove’s Dartmouth location. Source: 3GenLove
Some sellers help staff the stores.
Amy Pimentel, owner of Blue Dragon, stands next to her wares.
Decorative frames with bows at the back of the store.
The booths are made out of modular wooden crates and shelves.
A popular Westport gift shop just made its Dartmouth debut.
3GenLove, now also at 102 State Road, allows dozens of local artists and artisans — 51 to be precise — to sell their work all under one roof. The new “one-stop gift shop” held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on March 2.
“The whole business premise is to help other local small businesses have a home for their space without having the overhead costs of having a retail space,” said Amanda Alcaidinho, owner of 3GenLove.
Alcaidinho has organized craft fairs for years, including the annual Ryan Ferreira Memorial Craft Fair and a holiday craft fair. She opened up her Westport store about three years ago, and decided to open the new location somewhat unexpectedly.
“This one kind of fell into my lap,” Alcaidinho said. “The owner of the building had gone into the Westport store and fell in love with the way I set it up and reached out to me.”
Only “six to ten” vendors overlap between the two stores, Alcaidinho said, meaning most are brand-new additions.
The store allows for a “community setting” for the sellers and any interested buyers, said Amy Pimentel, owner of Blue Dragon, which primarily sells organic salves and balms. She said the new store is in the perfect location, which will ideally bring even more people in.
“Everybody knows this place,” Pimentel said of the strip mall near Slocum Road, which also houses Village Cafe.
Some of the business owners selling their work help staff the stores too.
“The collaboration from everyone in here is going to be huge,” Pimentel said.
The new Dartmouth location will be more service-focused, Alcaidinho said, including Tarot card readings and “Reiki” healings, whereas the Westport location will focus more on informational and educational classes.
“I think it’s going to be great for both stores, because it’s easy on and off the highway for both of them,” Alcaidinho said.
The Dartmouth location is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, and is closed on Monday.
