As you round the corner on Union Street in Deep River, something dark pops out from the trees, catching your eye. The sign reads “Deep River Home.” Above the front door it says “General Store.”
Step inside and meet owner Jenny Maneri. You’ll want to start a conversation with her. What will you learn? Maneri’s family moved to Deep River from Brooklyn, New York during the pandemic in the winter of 2021. “We stumbled upon this area of Connecticut by chance and didn’t even know it existed,” she says. “I had always wanted to open a store and was looking for an antique home with an ‘outside’ building.” The Barn on Union Street fit the bill. “It was like the barn gave me a hug,” she says of love at first sight.
After a brief renovation, the barn will be up and running as a store by May 2023. Since then, people from all over New England have been visiting. “It’s become a destination,” Maneri says. “Deep River Home is not in the center of town, so people have to find the store. People who are interested in what I sell gravitate towards it.”
Inside the open, airy barn, there’s a lot to discover. “I encourage customers to take a look around because you won’t find everything in one visit,” Maneri says of her “modern general store.” “It’s full of fun, interesting, quirky and unexpected items, each with a purpose.”
Pillows and chairs? Whale paperweights and Rollbahn notebooks? Vases and bag totes? Yes, the store carries all of that and much more. “For the last 25 years of my career, I’ve been collecting my favorite pieces, like a little Rolodex, for when I open my own store.”
An immediate highlight is the section devoted to household brushes, primarily used for cleaning. “This is my favorite part of the store,” Maneri says. “I love brushes.” Sourcing the products Deep River Home sells is a global endeavor: “Our brands fit modern lifestyles, but some are 100 years old, like a German brush manufacturer.” Look out for European goods as well as Japanese office and gardening supplies.
Maneri has also developed relationships with Connecticut manufacturers to develop her products. “We work with local woodworker James Gardner to make the peg rails, and he also carves these amazing bowls out of wood here in Deep River,” she says, for example. “And then there are the potters at Amie Ceramics in Stonington.”
Another draw is the store’s calm, serene atmosphere. “We want people to use all their senses, not to be visually overwhelmed or have a smelly candle smeared in their face,” says Maneri. With this in mind, every sensory element of the barn, from music to scent, was approached with intention. Maneri was the former creative director at furniture design manufacturer Herman Miller. “I did photography, directed commercials and videos, designed interiors and stores, and directed merchandising. My main job was to create the feel of the brand.” Drawing on this experience, Maneri created abstract mudrooms, gardening sheds, offices and kitchens throughout the space. As a result, “people say this is a place of Zen.”
Deep River Home and Maneri have been embraced by the community and customers. “I love talking to people, so the barn has become a bit of a hangout spot, which is great,” she says. “Friendships have been formed here, and to me, that’s very, very nice.”