Kate Wilkinson

When I was a teenager my friends and I would come up to Brewster every summer. One day each year we drove up to Ptown to hang out for the day. They were never exclusive of the community, but not quite inclusive either- reluctantly tolerant would describe it best. I hadn’t realized I was queer at all yet. But the streets in this town instantly felt like home. I wandered into Womencrafts for the first time and was fascinated by this world that seemed to be one of the most relatable places I didn’t know existed. And of course it was in Ptown- the town where I discovered so many aspects of myself from the time I was 12 that I seriously don’t know where I would be if I never found the place. That memory was something that I used in the following fifteen years as a source of comfort in some of the confusing and trying journey of self-discovery. The continued existence of Womencrafts has been a persistent beacon of comfort and refuge in some of the most trying times of that journey. On my first New Year’s as a single-fully-realized-out-person-getaway the shop was one of my first stops and Michelle’s recommendation of the Canteen’s holiday bazaar not only offered the best afternoon I’d had in a long time but also introduced me to my now favorite eatery. Womencrafts is one of my favorite places to stop into anytime I’m nearby and part of the many reasons that I look forward to making the area my home.