Welcome Silverlight Candle & Gift Shoppe to Main Street

There's a new gift shop in town just in time for the Christmas gift rush. 

Gary Dorion and his wife, Uraiwan, have been putting the finishing touches on the interior of the Silverlight Candle & Gift Shoppe, 213 Main Street, preparing for their Grand Opening Nov. 19.

Dorion, former owner of Bow Street Candles in Portsmouth, took some time off from retail to teach high school English in Manhattan.

"Bow Street was the No. 1 retail space in Portsmouth back then," said Dorion, who said the 13 years he spent teacher were great, but he missed the hustle and bustle of retail.

"Everything about this space is perfect. We really didn't have to do much. We looked at a lot of different places in different towns –even something in south Nashua. But we liked the retro feel here, and this is an ideal location," Dorion said.

His merchandise is a mix of quality candles – Yankee, Mole Hollow and Aloha – as well as hand-crafted imports, incense, soaps, scarves, jewelry totes and tin retro wall hangings, which he has been selling up until recently at the Londonderry Flea Market.

"That was our biggest seller, the tin signs," Dorion said. "We'll mix it up here. Some seasonal items and other things. We have some great handbags coming soon," Dorion said.

To celebrate the store's grand opening, all purchases will be 20 percent off, a sale Dorion will be extending into Thursday Nov. 21 to coincide with Ladies Night Out in Downtown Nashua. 

"I'm just hearing about it, but yes, I will be extending the grand opening discount for Thursday," Dorion said.

He's got a couple of original books for sale at the counter – "Comrade Anna," a historical fiction novel set in the Warsaw ghetto, and "The Lucky Lobster," a children's book.

In his previous incarnations, Dorion was a teacher and a Portsmouth shop owner, and a newspaper man in the Boston area, covering the courts. 

His storefront sign was made locally by Carl Marshall, of Marshall Signs on Lowell Street, which features ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who was a bit of a rabble rouser and is credited as the father of "cynic philosophy." He was said to cary a lamp at all times, even in the daytime, "looking for an honest man."

"I just thought he looked kind of cool, with his lantern and his dog," said Dorion. "You should see how cool it looks at night, all lit up. I think we'll do well  here. Aubuchon is a great anchor store and they get plenty of steady business," Dorion said.

The Dorions expected to be working late into the night Tuesday to finish getting the story ready, and plan to open a little later Wednesday than the usual store hours.

"We'll be open by 10 a.m. on Wednesday," Dorion said. 

Hours at the Silverlight Candle and Gift Shop, 213 Main St., Nashua, are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact Gary Dorion at 917-374-2544 or dorion9@gmail.com.