Inside Minka, a Kennebunkport Shop Shaped by Two Artists

May 23

At Minka Home Furnishings in Kennebunkport, co-owner Christopher Larochelle pays close attention to how people move through the store.

Over nearly two decades, he has developed an instinct for what draws someone across a room: a stack of linen scarves in muted earth tones, a mushroom carving tucked beside a ceramic vase, a shelf of dark-colored books and candles, the soft texture of a cotton blanket someone suddenly needs to touch before they leave.

Christopher handles the merchandising at Minka, layering the shop with plants, textiles, art prints, handmade goods, and small-batch products sourced largely from artists and makers across Maine and New England. Before opening the store with his wife, Michelle Rose-Larochelle, he worked in visual merchandising in Los Angeles.

Michelle creates Minka’s jewelry collections herself, often using semi-precious stones and simple, organic forms. The line began years ago after she struggled to find jewelry she actually wanted to wear.

“Everything felt like too much was going on,” she said.

The couple originally sold her necklaces from a tiny garage gallery near the Saco River. Local women began returning for more. Today, the jewelry has become one of the shop’s signatures, recognizable enough that customers sometimes spot pieces outside the store and immediately know they came from Minka.

Michelle’s all-natural skincare line also grew out of personal experience. After years of dealing with severe eczema, she began experimenting with essential oils, shea butter, beeswax, and botanical ingredients, eventually creating the hand salves and creams that customers now return for over and over again.

Outside the shop, Michelle also runs a floral and event studio, designing weddings seasonally while continuing to make jewelry and body care products from her nearby workspace.

Minka opened in 2008, just before the financial crisis. Since then, the couple has weathered shifting retail trends, supply chain challenges, quiet winters, and the unpredictable rhythm of seasonal tourism in coastal Maine.

Still, the shop has remained unmistakably theirs.

“We’re both artists and designers,” Michelle said. “To still be doing this after all these years feels really good.”