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Portside Coastal Goods Photo

Portside Coastal Goods

For Mike and Wendy Hille life has taken some interesting turns to lead them to their dream business. Currently located dockside in the Noank region of Groton, Connecticut, this business has become a local favorite. But interestingly enough, this serene dockside business started out as a simple idea between the two. According to his wife, Wendy, Mike Hille has a talent for manufacturing, making furniture, and other artisan work. Being an avid fisherman, Mike had the idea to handcraft his own fishing lures. Wendy then had the idea to turn them into bottle openers and in 2012, Portside (originally MW Coastal Goods) was born.

Wendy and Mike worked together, showing their new handmade nautical bottle openers to stores and local businesses in the area. Many of them loved the unique product and agreed to sell them in their stores. While business was booming, the two were working out of their house. It wasn’t until a few years later when they decided to open their very own retail shop. They found an old boat repair welding shop and transformed it into a retail space in the front and a workshop in the back. This charming shop opens right onto the dock in the Noank seaside area of Groton, inside Noank Shipyard.

As the business has evolved, they have grown beyond just their famous artisan bottle openers. They also make wine openers, boat name monogrammed key buoys, signs, custom tumblers and more! They are also now carrying a wider variety of additional products in the store. You can purchase any of these products at the shop itself or a selection online on their website at shop-portside.com. They are currently in the middle of revamping their website to make it bigger and better for every visitor. Soon all of the other products they are selling currently in the store will be added to the website’s shopping feature.

“With the new online store, we will be selling all kinds of customized things including beverage buckets, tumblers, cheese knives,custom apparel, and more!” – Wendy Hille

They also have a wedding registry on their website that you can sign up for. All you have to do is go to their website, head to registry, and they will assist you in creating your wish list.

They also offer ideas and products that are great for wedding party gifts. These products include things like personalized monogrammed tumblers, cuff bracelets, shavers, clutches, jewelry, key buoys, and more! Visit their website to learn more about their wedding registry option or make a walk on down the dock and have Wendy help you out in person.

“We are really excited about our new wedding registry service!  We’ve partnered with www.bluepheasant.com to offer a fun line of dishware including designer Mark D. Sikes collection, which I adore!”– Wendy Hille

May 20th marked the two-year anniversary of MW Coastal Goods  in their dockside shop. Wendy and Mike never thought that one simple idea would lead to all of this.

The couple has worked hard for their success, working together to hand make every single product. When you shop at MW Coastal Goods you can be sure you are getting the very best hand craftsmanship. You can also be sure that your product is one of a kind!

Groton is proud to be lucky enough to have such a unique and fun business located here!

If you are looking to learn more about the one-of-a-kind business you can find them on Instagram @shopportside

 



 

 

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145 Pearl Street
Noank, CT 06340
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