WINCHESTER — From drinking horns to kilts in varying styles, almost every garment, knickknack and novelty at Faire Isles Trading Company in downtown Winchester has a story or symbolism behind it.
Some items at the East Boscawen Street store are fashioned from the wool of Scotland’s sheep, while others are American-made, but each is steeped in Irish and Scottish culture.
“The culture is just so deep,” said Stephanie Shahan, who owns the shop along with her husband, Adam. “It’s vast and it’s deep and I love it. It still is running very strong, especially around here, and no one really knew that before.”
The Shahans opened the Faire Isles Trading Company storefront in Winchester about three months ago. Since then, business has been going well, with locals and tourists stopping in to check out the eclectic mix of Celtic merchandise.
While the store popped up at the end of November, the brand has been around since 2001, when it was founded by Florida residents Rob and Sandy MacAllister. The MacAllisters met the Shahans at the Virginia Scottish Games in 2013, which is when they began working together.
“We’ve been led to it,” said Shahan, who grew up in the Winchester area. “You know, you just follow where life’s leading you.”
After that, Shahan and her husband began traveling to Scottish and Irish festivals up and down the East Coast, where they would set up a tent to market Faire Isles Trading Company’s wares. The business developed quite a following, with regular customers expecting to see the retailer’s tent at the next event.
In the process, the Shahans also fell in love with the camaraderie and fellowship of the festivals. Whether the massive Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina or Winchester’s own Celtic Fest, the gatherings teemed with people from far and wide who came together to celebrate the same heritage.
In June 2023, the Shahans formally took over the business upon the MacAllisters’ retirement. Soon after, the Winchester-area couple decided to work toward opening a storefront to be a place where their goods could be on display when they weren’t on the road.
“We’ve always wanted to open a shop down here,” Shahan said.
Numerous items in the store have become popular sellers.
Harris Tweed handbags on display near the entryway are “hard to keep in stock,” Shahan said. She explained that Harris Tweed is a tartan fabric that is harvested from sheep on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Harris Tweed is protected by the Harris Tweed Authority, which was established by Parliament in 1993.
Utilikilts, which are functional cargo-style men’s kilts made for everyday wear, are another fast seller. Shahan described them as having a “cult following.”
Faire Isles Trading Company also offers custom wool kilts from the fashion brand Lochcarron of Scotland, which customers can order to their specific measurements and with the tartan pattern that matches their ancestral history.
“The symbolism and the storytelling of these cultures is so huge,” Shahan said as she described some of the store’s most-loved items.
The Shahan family has strong Scottish and Irish backgrounds. Shahan is Scots-Irish, “heavy on the Irish,” and her husband is Scots-Irish, “heavy on the Scottish.” Their two kids, 17 years old and 21 years old, are both redheads with blue eyes. And the whole family helps with different aspects of running the Faire Isles Trading Company.
Having grown up in the area, Shahan has many teenage memories at businesses along Winchester’s Loudoun Street Mall. So, having her own shop just off the walking mall was a full-circle moment, she expressed. And meeting customers who come into the store is one of the joys,
“Yeah, we’re a store, our purpose is to sell things, but really we want to be part of the community,” Shahan said. “We like to socialize. We talk with everybody, find out where they’re from, what their background is. … We love that part.”
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