Co-owners of the eclectic collectibles shop are author Augusten Burroughs, his husband Christopher Schelling, and creative entrepreneur Shari Sirkin

NORTHAMPTON—The Shiny Black Door, a new shop offering a highly curated selection of rare jewels, fine art, and other unique collectibles, will open on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in late November.

Partners in the creative venture are best-selling author Augusten Burroughs, a Northampton native; his husband and literary agent, Christopher Schelling; and longtime friend and colleague Shari Sirkin, a creative and entrepreneur. Burroughs and Sirkin will run the shop in Suite 260, formerly occupied by LeBonNton, and Schelling will serve as a silent collaborator and contributor.

Burroughs is best known for his memoirs, “Running with Scissors” and “Dry.” He’s had nine titles appear on The New York Times bestseller list. He and Schelling live in Southbury, Connecticut, and Sirkin lives in Stratford, Connecticut.

“It’s like a homecoming in a way,” said Burroughs. “I had a famously dysfunctional childhood in Northampton, filled with abuse and neglect. I’m returning to the scene of the crime, if you will, but this time, I am bringing joy and experience. It’s an exciting way for me to be back here on a brand new journey.”

Burroughs and Sirkin are wide-ranging collectors of one-of-a-kind items, and their shop will reflect their whimsical and offbeat tastes, paired with their deep knowledge and their backgrounds as interior designers. Arranged to make visitors’ jaws drop, the space will hold pieces from each of their collections, including fine and undiscovered art, collectibles, musical instruments, vintage clothing, furniture and home accessories from antique to modern, all at a range of prices. 

As Burroughs and Sirkin have been developing the shop, passers-by have peeked in. “The looks on their faces have been amazing,” Sirkin said. “Even though they can see that it’s not open yet, they can’t help but be drawn in. That sense of wonder is what everybody will experience as they walk through the door.”

Burroughs added, “The store is a curiosity cabinet you can walk into.”

Burroughs’ love of jewelry came from his paternal grandparents, who collected jade in China and Hong Kong and inspired him from a young age. As he has gone on book tours across the world, he has been collecting unique items. Under the moniker The Blue Paisley Fox, he sells jewelry on 1stDibs.com. 

Sirkin is an entrepreneur who has worked in a variety of fields. In the 1990s, she introduced the concept of personal training gyms to Connecticut. She is also a well-respected and groundbreaking Realtor, having brought the concept of team-based real estate agencies to the region. She is a world traveler as well as an avid collector.

Schelling is an Ohio native who became a literary agent in the 1990s and has operated his own agency, Selectric Artists, representing many best-selling authors since 2011. 

Burroughs isn’t just a Northampton native; he has decades of connection with Thornes Marketplace. “I spent a lot of time at Thornes as a teen because I was obsessed with the window designs,” he said, noting that his silhouette was once painted on the walls of Thornes’ fourth floor as an art project that remained for years.

“It’s exciting to introduce people to things they may never have come across or seen before,” Burroughs said. “We’re creating an immersive experience for people so they can share in the joy that we feel. Every piece has a story and a history.”

The Shiny Black Door will open in late November.

For more information on the shop, visit theshinyblackdoor.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

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