Nantucket Looms Launches First-Ever Book, Detailing Legacy of Craft, Community, and Celebrity
Nantucket Looms at 51 Main Street
For over five decades, Nantucket Looms has stood as a Main Street mainstay, woven into the fabric of the island’s cultural identity. Known for its luxe handwoven textiles, thoughtfully curated home décor, and personalized interior design services, the beloved institution is now turning a new page—literally—with the release of its first-ever book, Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style (Rizzoli). This richly crafted volume offers an intimate look at the store’s origins, community impact, and the notable figures who have helped shape its enduring legacy.
The story of Nantucket Looms began in the early 1960s, when island residents Bill Euler and Andrew Oates crossed paths with Walter Beinecke, the visionary responsible for reshaping Nantucket into a world-class destination. Back then, the island was far from the picture-perfect postcard it is today. Its wharves were gritty, and its colonial charm had faded. But Beinecke’s plan to restore Nantucket’s historic beauty laid the groundwork for what would become a new era—and the birth of Nantucket Looms.
Inspired by this revival, Euler and Oates purchased The Cloth Company in 1968, an initiative founded by the Nantucket Historical Trust to create reproduction textiles for historic renovations like the Jared Coffin House. When the Trust’s projects wound down, the duo transformed the company into a retail store and weaving studio—marking the official founding of Nantucket Looms as we know it.
The weaving studio at Nantucket Looms
As the business grew, so too did its offerings. After Euler and Oates retired, the baton was passed to their successor, current co-owner and president Bess Clarke’s mother, Liz Winship, who expanded the store’s offerings to include furniture, home décor, and even personalized interior design in the 1990s. As clients increasingly sought advice on arranging their spaces, Clarke explained, it made sense to formalize it. Located on the store’s upper floor, the design studio invites customers to explore the materials and designs, offering a tactile, immersive experience.
From inception, Nantucket Looms has been deeply integrated and committed to the island’s local community. “One of the big pillars of our business has always been to employ a year-round workforce,” says Clarke. “Even when it didn’t make financial sense, [Bill and Andy] honored that commitment.” Unlike many seasonal shops, Nantucket Looms chose to keep its doors open and its payroll running through the off-season—offering health insurance and full benefits to its employees, a practice that continues to this day.
“The better our business does, the better it is for the artists.
And that’s something that makes me really proud.”
Bess Clarke, Nantucket Looms Co-Owner and President
Further, Nantucket Looms supports local artists through a traditional consignment relationship. “It’s this wonderful, old-school system. Seeing them walk in with their paintings, jewelry, textiles—it’s one of the most charming parts of the business,” says Clarke. “The better our business does, the better it is for the artists. And that’s something that makes me really proud.”
“There’s a story about Grace Kelly coming into the shop wearing a turban, eating an ice cream cone—which, of course, was not allowed in the store.
But what do you say to Grace Kelly?”
The allure of Nantucket Looms hasn’t gone unnoticed. Over the years, the shop has quietly built a clientele as storied as its legacy. Its new book offers glimpses into some of these memorable relationships—from legendary interior designers like Billy Baldwin to style icons such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Bunny Mellon.
“We still have [Jackie Kennedy’s] handwritten letters,” Clarke says, recalling the First Lady’s endearing notes, inquiring about gifts for her son or even sweater exchanges. “She had this beautiful stationery, but she would scratch out half the letter and not even start a new letter—it was just really funny.” One such letter is currently framed in the store’s weaving studio.
“Over the years, we’ve had everyone from Lady Bird Johnson and Hillary Clinton (lots of First Ladies would come in and visit the weaving studio) to Tom Selleck (who my mom wrapped her arms around to measure for a shirt jacket and was like ‘Oh my gosh,’ for about ten years after),” says Clarke, who also recalls a visit from American actress Grace Kelly. “There’s a story about Grace Kelly coming into the shop wearing a turban, eating an ice cream cone—which, of course, was not allowed in the store. But what do you say to Grace Kelly?”
The cover of Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style, published by Rizzoli
“I didn’t want that history to be lost. I wanted to capture it, pass it on,
and share the lessons we learned”
Now, with its new book—featuring writing by Linda Jane Holden (author of Rizzoli’s The Gardens of Bunny Mellon) and Mitchell Owens (editor-in-chief of The Magazine Antiques), and photography by Matt Kisiday—Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style invites readers into its home of history, community, and craftsmanship—with a few celebrity anecdotes along the way. “My mom was such an incredible oral historian. You’d walk into the shop, and she’d share these great stories, little tidbits about the island, about the artists. But now she’s not in the store anymore, and I didn’t want that history to be lost. I wanted to capture it, pass it on, and share the lessons we learned from Bill, Andy, Liz, and all the people who have shaped this place over the last 50+ years.”
(Photos courtesy of Nantucket Looms)