The downtown community bows its head in respect to two pioneers in its burgeoning arts and business community, Alda Roderiques and Marybeth Vargas, who are retiring as of this month. For the past seven years, the store and its owners have been a steadfast part of the tight-knit William St. community. 2007 marked the stores’ tenth year in business, the first three of which were in Acushnet. Since their bold move to New Bedford, these ladies’ influence has stretched up and down the block, eventually  side-by-side with stores like Solstice, Artificial Marketplace, Joe Piper’s, Simmons Brothers and No Problemo, to name a few. Not to mention the growing number of artists and musicians working upstairs and selling their art downtown.

Although this certainly is the end of an era for Alda and Marybeth, it also marks the beginning of their legacy. Starting the beginning of February, their good friends Jenny Liscombe-Newman and Arianna Swink of Tenacious Lilly, along with Bridget Lajoie of Studio 6 will inhabit the 100 William St. space, bringing a new name, TL6: The Gallery, and new art by local designers and artisans. TL6 will still carry the White Knight’s best-sellers, such as items by Maruca, Elias Glass, Glass Eye Studios and of course, Tenacious Lilly jewelry and art by Studio 6.

Jenny and Arianna began selling their jewelry at White Knight more than four years ago, eventually finding great success and friendship within. “Neither of us is from New Bedford.  [Alda and Marybeth] taught us to love this area,” says Jenny. They have had a working studio in the back of the store since January 2006 and credit Alda and Marybeth for much of their success. To quote Arianna: “We are building our store on the foundation they have already laid,” she says, “We couldn’t do this without them.”

TL6 co-owner Bridget Lajoie has worked above the Gallery since early spring of last year. She and her mother Susan Mogan make up Studio 6. Bridget and Susan have outstanding work in every medium from whale bone to watercolor. They became regular customers and friends of Alda and Marybeth when they moved the Gallery downtown. “It’s because of Alda that I took a studio space upstairs to begin with. She helped me get started and gave me a home base downtown,” says Bridget. “She and Marybeth have been nothing but the best…to everyone on the street.”

TL6: The Gallery is currently open for business 11am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday. Ari, Jenny and Bridget are planning a grand opening celebration for sometime in April (date TBA).  In the meantime, they are gearing up for Valentine’s Day (their first AHA!), producing new works and putting new product on the shelves. The ladies are optimistic about the future, but hope to do right by those who helped them get here.  They hope to see both new customers and old familiar faces alike join them in the beginning of a new era.

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