Since designing her high school’s uniform while a senior at Greenwich Academy, Nancy has maintained a strong interest in the fabric arts. After college at the University of Miami, she attended the Tobe-Coburn Institute in New York City and entered the fashion industry as a buyer for a major direct-mail catalog. While in New York, Nancy met and married Mark Hamilton after a whirlwind courtship in September, 1988. Not content to be a “stay-at-home” mother for her two children, Benjamin and Nicole, she started a home-based business after they entered elementary school. Nancy started sewing high-quality home furnishings for interior designers under the name “Nancy’s Nest” and joined the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) as an Industry Pa
rtner. That business continued after Nancy and Mark relocated their family from Wilton to Cornwall Bridge in 2004. Gifted with insatiable creativity, early in 2009, she became interested in the beautiful works of Claire Murray and other needle arts. Seeing an opportunity to share her interest with others, Nancy opened Chanticleer in July, 2009 to service the needs of other needle artists working in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut.
In creating Chanticleer, Nancy did not want to open a typical retail store. Rather, she wanted Chanticleer as a destination where needle artists can bring their work and share it with others. While at the store, patrons can enjoy warm drinks, cold beverages, light snacks or fine chocolate truffles. Nancy recognized that some of her customers were looking for ways to expand their skills, so she organized regular classes that are lead by the foremost artists of the area. Make a point to stop in to hear Nancy say “Welcome to Chanticleer!”.
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