NORTHAMPTON — After six years at Thornes Marketplace, Refinery, a handbag, fabric and accessories shop, will close its doors for good on Tuesday.
Owner Suzanne Bagdade, who designs and sews all of the shop’s fabric products aside from scarves, said that many factors went into her decision to close the store, but the primary reason was that it simply felt like the right time.
“It was about 5,000 things, and totally unanticipated, unplanned,” Bagdade said of the decision. “I love, love it here. I’ve so enjoyed being here and had no intentions of closing, but I turned 50 in January, and I think it really changed everything.”
With her perspectives shifting and a lease renewal option on the horizon, Bagdade said that she knew it was time to close up shop.
“I just decided to listen to that intuition, and I haven’t looked back,” she said.
Bagdade’s responsibilities at the shop were also set to increase, as another seamstress with whom she works in New York was stepping back in her own work.
“I do about 80 percent of the work, but that 20 percent I occasionally need her for is so essential,” Bagdade said.
Bagdade first opened Refinery 22 years ago in New York as Refinery Brooklyn, which she operated out of a small studio that included just the basic essentials: a sewing machine, ironing board and her fabrics. She opened a second location in Thornes in August 2013. Bagdade closed the Brooklyn location last year after the demands of running the two shops became overwhelming and she shifted her focus to Northampton, which she said “felt more like home.”
Over the weekend, Bagdade said some of her goodbyes to her customers with a spot at the Sidewalk Sales. Bagdade did not usually participate in the Sidewalk Sales, as it necessitated higher merchandise stocks than she had, but she said the timing was ideal this year for “unloading the fabric stash” from the store.
“It was an exhausting four-day marathon, but it was perfect,” Bagdade said of the event. “Perfect for bringing people in the store and seeing things.”
Another Thornes vendor, The Blue Marble gift shop, will be expanding into Refinery’s space, Bagdade said.
Refinery has four employees, including Bagdade. Two employees are returning to school, while the other has accepted a different job, she said.
Following the shop’s closure, Bagdade said that she will be taking time to decompress and figure out her next steps. But at least for the near future, those plans likely won’t involve a sewing machine.
“I’m leaving on such a bright note because everyone has been so wonderful,” Bagdade said. “I’m just ready for travel and not sewing. A new chapter.”
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.