The day I moved to Boston my brother whisked me up to Rockport and I was instantly charmed: by the salty ocean smell, by the quaint New England architecture, by the sparkling light. When I decided to open my own business I couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else.

I was born and grew up in Rome, Italy to American parents. My father, a sculptor, received a grant to visit the marble quarries of Tuscany in the early 60’s and never left. I moved to the US to attend college, graduating with a painting degree, and staying on to work in commercial art including stints as a textile designer in New York City and as an art director for invitation software in Cambridge, MA.

I brought my background with me when I opened the store. I first modeled it on the little paper shops of Rome and Florence. I select and arrange my products carefully with color and original design in mind, and I use my own artwork to create unique merchandise for the store, including prints, cards and books.

I named the shop The Paper Mermaid to evoke whimsy, creativity and of course the ocean. I encourage my customers to make something of their own: to write a letter, draw a picture or spend the evening with family assembling a beautiful puzzle. So come in and be inspired!