About Us

Deb Thompson opened Nahcotta in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in May of 2000. Two years prior, she had been traveling across the country after quitting her job and ended up in the small town of Nahcotta, Washington. It was there she reconnected with her dream of opening a gallery/boutique and promptly after her return home began to look for the right space. Portsmouth quickly became the destination of choice and she relocated from Boston to make the seacoast her home. 

From the beginning, the vision has remained essentially the same - create an inspiring and beautiful space for both art and gifts. Since day one Nahcotta has offered original art and fine goods, though offerings have varied over the years, once including high end furniture. Some brands that have been carried since the early days are Chilewich (placemats) and Simon Pearce (handblown glassware) and a selection of ceramics, jewelry and art supplies. Through the addition of several key employees, that vision has expanded into the vibrant experience Nahcotta is today. 

After several years of working closely with Demri Rosekrans as visual director, Demri became a part owner alongside Deb in 2022. With her help, Nahcotta has expanded its offerings to the widest selection yet of art supplies, jewelry, books, apothecary, home goods, pantry items, and childrens items.

Nahcotta is also home to the biannual Enormous Tiny Art show. We show hundreds of pieces of artwork by dozens of different artists for each and every ETA show.

The soul of Nahcotta exists within our manifesto:

We believe a sense of humor, compassion, art and integrity are integral parts of a happy life. We believe in the importance of being inspired. We believe that the things that make you feel are just as important as the things that make you think. We believe in connecting - with our neighbors next door and across the world. We strive to make art accessible to anyone and everyone because things of beauty enrich our lives in ineffable ways.