In the early 90’s the Sanborns started to sell handmade birdhouses and other yard art on their lawn to help afford their time on the island. Their daughter Jess, 3 years old at the time, began selling seashells and fresh picked strawberries on the lawn as well.
When Jess got a little older she decided to sell fresh-squeezed lemonade at the Vinalhaven flea market. She still needed adult supervision so Carol brought their inventory to Webster’s field on Saturday mornings. For the next fifteen or so years, you would find our hand-painted, hand-crafted wooden wares next to the lemonade stand.
Our Story
Steve and Carol Sanborn happened upon Vinalhaven in the early 1980s when exploring areas of Maine they’d never been to. Having lived in the state their whole lives, they’d never traveled to the island and decided to visit. They instantly fell in love with Vinalhaven and were determined to make it part of their life. They purchased as small plot of overgrown land at 12 Old Harbor Rd and brought out an old, beat up camper to stay in.
In 2001 Zach was born and shortly after diagnosed with Down syndrome Once he was old enough, he participated in the flea market as well, selling his old books and toys. Interacting with customers and counting change helped him work on his speech and math skills.
As Zach grew older, the idea to convert our shop (which we built on the spot where the camper once sat) began to percolate. Turning the shop into a store would provide meaningful employment for Zach and allow him a more formal setting for practicing his speech, math, and social skills. In 2015, Jess (now an adult) stepped in and formalized the business as Zach’s Shack, LLC. We opened in June 2015 with an inventory consisting solely of our own products.
Each year we’ve expanded our product line and we now offer a wide variety of hand-cut wooden craft items, hand-painted decorative sea creatures, art supplies, books, original postcards and note cards, handmade items from local artisans, nautical toys, games, pirate gear and antique navigation replicas. At Zach’s Shack we challenge you to create your own masterpieces but are still happy to take on special orders too. Please stop by and check out our ever-changing one-of-a-kind shop!
