Alexander Widener stands in front of the Widener Company in Wiscasset. Widener and his husband, Bradly, moved from New York to run the interior design shop. (Courtesy of Ari Kellerman)
As Alexander Widener walked through his interior design store on Friday, July 11, he pointed out a plant cutting from Thomas Jefferson’s house, hand-crafted French glasses, and a decorative ceramic lettuce painted by a Boston artist.
These pieces hold history, something Widener hopes to share through his business and his online presence.
Widener and his husband Bradly are no strangers to Wiscasset or to 101 Main St., where the Widener Company opened in June. The store front was previously Marston House, an antique store and rental property run by Sharon and Paul Mrozinski before being sold to Francoise McCoy in 2017.
The guest cottage was a frequent vacation stop for Widener and his husband while McCoy owned it, and they became well acquainted with the store and its owner. He said he looked up to McCoy for her skillfully curated collection of antiques.
“We felt so lucky to be in this space because it was such an incredible institution,” Widener said.
When Widener came up for a visit last year, McCoy said she was planning to sell the business and move to France full time. After some thought, Widener and his husband decided there was no better time to take on a new venture and leave behind their jobs in New York.
Interior design is no new frontier for Widener, who has worked in the industry for years, but he said owning his own store and running the property’s guest cottage has been a learning experience.
Widener puts heavy consideration into every piece, making sure he likes the producers and that every item is handmade, antique, or sustainably produced. He has a story attached to every piece, whether it’s about the objects themselves or the artist who created them.
“The benchmark for me is do I want to sell this?” he said. “If the answer is no, I want to keep it, then I’ll bring it into the shop.”
Widener Company has something for everyone, he said. It’s important to Widener that the store carries products of all prices so that everyone can walk out with a purchase they love.
“I want everyone to be able to come and get a piece of the joy and beauty that I see in these things,” Widener said.
A big part of Widener’s love for interior design and his story is the shared history created by objects, he said. With pieces new and old, his customers are connected to the people who made or previously owned them.
“My connection to objects is the energy they have,” Widener said. “Holding a 250-year-old quilt that someone hand stitched and made, I’m connected through space and time to that person who made it … That’s what I get really excited about.”
Decorative items and vintage interior design books are some of the items for sale at The Widener Company in Wiscasset. Owner Alexander Widener has worked in the interior design industry for years. (Courtesy of Ari Kellerman)
On top of running his store, Widener has found another way to share his love for design: TikTok. He’s gained over 71,000 followers by sharing his niche interior design knowledge and chronicling his days as a new shopkeeper on the social media app.
“I really want to teach people my age why antiques are important and why they should be intentional with what they bring into their homes,” Widener said.
Widener’s videos mix his own stories with design knowledge. In his series “Design History,” he breaks down the historical significance of pieces like Dutch porcelain or Jackie Kennedy’s favorite bed sheet brand.
Some of his followers have even come out to Wiscasset and visited the Widener Company. He said he takes those moments as an opportunity to recommend the village’s stores, restaurants, and experiences to visitors.
Widener said finding community both in Wiscasset and across the globe through social media has been “the craziest thing that’s ever happened.”
“I’ve never had a community before,” he said. “It’s been the best experience being able to meet people here in our village. We have the most amazing artists and shops and people here.”
As Widener settles into owning a storefront, he said he hopes to respect and preserve Wiscasset’s extensive history of antique dealing.
The future is full of possibilities for the Widener Company and its owner. Widener said he’s considering starting his own line of products or writing a book, but he’s leaving room for whatever new opportunities find him.
“I’m just trying to be really open to wherever it takes me,” he said. “I kind of want to just open the doors to let whatever comes come.”
The Widener Company, at 101 Main St. in Wiscasset, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, go to widenercompany.com or find Widener’s TikTok page at @alexander_widener.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article on Page 1 of the July 17 edition incorrectly reported Widener purchased the 101 Main St. property from Paul and Sharon Marston. He purchased the property from Francoise McCoy, who took over Marston House in 2017 after Paul and Sharon Mrozinski listed the property. The Lincoln County News regrets this error.)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
