Maura McGonigle has been in the embroidery business for 25 years, and recently cut the ribbon on her new shop in Jaffrey.

In the location of the former New England Everyday Goods on Colls Farm Road in Jaffrey, McGonigle opened Maura’s Embroidery and, in an attached storefront, Artisans on the Hill, which features T-shirts and hats with her embroidery and handcrafted items from artists from around the region.

McGonigle said she started as a quilter, but as her daughter became involved with school activities, she began to do embroidery as a fundraising endeavor. People liked her work so much that word soon spread.

“Someone told two friends, and then they told two friends, and so on,” McGonigle said.

Suddenly, she was turning the hobby into a business, and was too busy for quilting. McGonigle opened a shop – also named Maura’s Embroidery – in Weymouth, Mass. McGonigle and her fiance moved to Jaffrey about three months ago to be closer to their children and grandchildren, who live in New Hampshire. Jaffrey put them almost smack in the middle of their loved ones, and McGonigle said after viewing the former New England Everyday Goods storefront, she knew she had found a new home.

McGonigle said she loves seeing a design go from concept to reality for her clients.

“It’s the creative aspect, seeing something come to life – the art of it,” McGonigle said.

One client came to her, wanting some hats embroidered with instruments for a band. He gave her some photos, and McGonigle turned them into embroidery designs. The client was so impressed with the outcome, he immediately wanted to put in another order, McGonigle said.

“It’s things like that that make it worth it,” McGonigle said.

Artisans on the Hill is a consignment-style shop that features local artists and their crafts, including local honey and maple syrup, items from Monadsocks of Keene, pillows and bags from Cathy’s Crafty Co-op, birdhouses and wood carving by David Webster, soaps and lotions by Amber Dewey and cutting boards from Genovese Woodworking. McGonigle said she hopes to continue to grow the collection.

McGonigle said she started working on the space about two months ago, and immediately got some interest from patrons visiting the neighboring Optimist Cafe. She said there was so much interest, in fact, she was able to get her business off the ground sooner than she had originally planned.

“I wasn’t well known in Jaffrey – wasn’t known at all, in fact – but traffic from the Optimist Cafe generated so much interest in the business that it kind of forced my hand. And it’s grown, and now I’m busy all the time,” McGonigle said.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.