Collecting Small Moments of Joy: Alexander Widener of Widener Company

Classic & Curious

Alexander Widener, founder of Widener Company in Wiscasset, Maine, joins host Anne Kokoskie to discuss his journey from New York brand marketing to

Key takeaways

• Alexander Widener left a career in brand marketing for companies like Matuk, Sister Parish, and Samuel & Sons to open a seasonal shop in Wiscasset, Maine.
• His first Instagram video about Wedgwood history garnered nearly half a million views, unexpectedly catapulting him into social media content creation.

Main topics

• Pursuing joy over perfection
• Building a curated retail brand in Maine

Notable quotes

"When I threw perfection out the window and said, I'm going after joy, I'm going after stuff that makes me feel happy."

Conclusion

Widener's journey offers a compelling blueprint for aligning personal

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) When I threw perfection out the window and said, I'm going after joy, I'm going after stuff that makes me feel happy. My goal is happiness and joy. Joy isn't this ever-present thing. It's little tiny moments, but you get to achieve them and you get to collect them. And once you start looking for them, your life gets so much better. And I'm no longer worried about perfection. I'm no longer worried about having a perfect appearance or saying exactly the right thing because I'll never do it. I'll never have it. And none of us really will. So yeah, for me now, it's just going for joy. Speaker 2 (0:35) This is Classic and Curious. I'm Anne Kikoski, and each week I bring you conversations with the founders, tastemakers, and creatives who have mastered the art of living with curiosity and intention. The spaces we inhabit, the tables we gather around, the places we seek out, so you can develop a sharper eye and design a life that feels distinctively your own. Speaker 2 (1:05) Welcome back to Classic and Curious, and I'm so excited about our guest. We are joined by Alexander Widener. He's a decorator, collector, storyteller, and founder of Widener Company, an interior shop and guest cottage in the coastal village of Wisconsin, Maine. After building a career in brand marketing with brands such as Matuk, Sister Parish, and Samuel & Sons, he left New York to create a more personal life centered around beauty, history, and craftsmanship. Through warm, engaging narratives that he shares on Instagram, Alexander introduces a new generation, and my generation, to the pleasure of collecting while celebrating the artists and craftspeople whose hands give objects their soul. We're so delighted to host you. Welcome, Alexander. Speaker 1 (1:54) Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to chat. So Speaker 2 (1:57) am I. I couldn't wait for this all weekend. I was just thinking about my Monday morning with you. So let's start with having you introduce yourself to the listeners and share your story of how you created this beautiful brand. Speaker 1 (2:10) Yeah, well, I think you did a pretty good job of introducing me, but I'm Alexander. And yeah, as Anne said last year, I quit my job in New York. And I moved to a small village in coastal Maine to follow my dreams. And I always knew since I was a child that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I just never knew what that would look like. And we used to come and visit in Maine in this small little village called Piscasset. And we stayed with a wonderful French woman in her guest cottage and she ran a little antique shop. And every time I would leave, I would think. That's what I want to do. And so on our last trip up, I said to my husband, Bradley, we were driving up in the car. I said, what if we get there and she wants to sell us the property? And he said, you're crazy. Like, I'm not even entertaining that. That's never happening. And we walk in and she tells us that she's planning to sell and asked if we might be interested. And it felt like at that moment, the universe was handing me my opportunity. And so we spent the next couple of weeks thinking about. what we should do, looking for signs in the universe. Of course, the universe gave us all the signs and we ended up taking the risk. And so it's been about a year and a half now. And in the process, I started sharing on social media, which never was part of the plan, but now is a big piece of the puzzle. And we opened our shop here and we sell a mix of old things and new things, antiques, decorative objects. But really it's about... things that bring me joy and getting to share that joy with other people. Because really, this whole journey that I've been through in the last couple years has been in pursuit of joy and finding what makes life so good. And now that I'm here in Maine, I think I might be onto it. I think I might have found it. What Speaker 2 (3:55) a beautiful journey. And with all journeys comes a sense of risk, a sense of hope, and a sense of just this inner engine that tells you it's right. So when you... did this, was there something you learned about yourself along the way that said, wow, this is really double clicking on why this was meant for me? Speaker 1 (4:15) There's so many things that I learned about myself. And obviously, I'm sharing on Instagram. So there's this public process that everyone's been watching. But there's a really personal thing, too, that's been happening. I never intended to. post videos on social media. In fact, I was very self-conscious and I was very hesitant to even put myself out there in the world. And when I took this leap, it was a Friday in March of last year, I quit my job. I had turned in my notice a few weeks earlier and then Friday was my last day. And on that Monday, I happened to look at my horoscope and my horoscope said, today's the day to put yourself in the public eye and share something with the world. And so I sat down and I made a video about the history of Wedgwood, which is one of my favorite things to collect. And they have a very interesting, to me, an antique nerd, a very interesting history. And I made this, I don't know, six minute long TikTok video. And that was the first time I'd put myself out there. And that video got almost half a million views. It went really big, really fast. And it kind of changed everything and introduced this new idea of what might be possible. I really thought I was going to open a tiny little shop in a sleepy town and I would have a few people come in every day, but I could be needle pointing and knitting and just enjoying. Oh, I get to enjoy, but it's also turned into something a little bit bigger. Yeah, a Speaker 2 (5:41) little is a very humble word. You know, it's really funny, and I think this is so serendipitous. That was the first Instagram post, the Wedgwood one, when I discovered you. It's interesting that you brought that one up because that was the first one that came across my algorithm. And that's the one I remember the most. And Speaker 1 (6:02) if you watch it again, I was so nervous. I was so self-conscious. And I think over the last year, I've let some of those pieces go. And when you see yourself reflected back every day, I make a video almost every day, I watch myself back and I start to become more comfortable with myself. And it's really changed how I see myself and how I let myself move in the world. It's been a really powerful thing for me. Speaker 2 (6:25) I'm so glad you went back and touched on that because I'm very self-conscious and my confidence level in front of the camera can go up and down. But I think you're really an inspiration to just do and be who you are. people fall in love with that. And so I say kudos to you because I think it's your vulnerability and your authenticity that is what attracts people to you because you are who you are and you don't mince the words. I'm trying to over explain. And I think it's just so beautiful, but you don't become stronger in something unless you continue to do it over and over. I just love that you brought that up and you touched on a little part of my soul because I struggle with that. And I'm 61 years old. And I look at you and I say, well, if Alexander can do it, so can I. So I just wanted to say thank you because that really is an inspiration to everybody at any