NEW CARLISLE — New Carlisle’s newest boutique is stocked expressly with goods from thousands of miles away.

Siam Orchid, 314 S. Main St., features items from Thailand, the home country of Noi Eggleston, who owns the shop with her husband Bruce.

All of Siam Orchid’s initial inventory, imported from Thailand, was selected during Noi’s two buying trips back to her homeland to find items she thought would be appealing to her customers in Clark County.

“I buy based on what I like and since we weren’t sure what would sell starting out, we tried to get a wide variety of items,” she said.

The store features an array of items including sculptures, carvings and paintings, textiles, handbags, small table lamps, flower pots in various sizes and jewelry made from semi-precious stones, mango trees, shells and coconuts.

About 90 percent of the items are hand-crafted, Bruce said.

A series of small found-object metal movie character sculptures — including Yoda, Optimus Prime and Wall-E — have been created from nuts, bolts, washers, bicycle chain and spark plugs.

Small wooden boxes are carved from indigenous trees and statues are carved from various media including wood and stone.

NaRaYa handbags, sold all over the world and famous for their fabrics and quilted styling, are part of Siam Orchid’s inventory.

Handbags and wallets crafted from stingray leather are, Noi said, “durable and sometimes called immortal because they last for so long.” The pieces are dyed, but retain the natural patterns.

The jewelry, which includes necklaces, rings and bracelets, is unique in that Noi buys from artisans who produce small quantities, so repeat items will not likely be found on the store’s shelves.

Even when an artisan sends new pieces from a specific line, designs and materials may be slightly different.

“There are so many things in the store that are unique. The artisans can never create exactly the same piece twice,” Bruce said.

He owns and operates Bruce Eggleston Signs, which is located in the same building with Siam Orchid. The two shops are separated only by a door which is often open, allowing Bruce and Noi to communicate and work together as they need to.

The couple started talking about opening a store almost five years ago, just after they were married, but things just never seemed to come together.

They met when Bruce went to visit his sister, an English teacher living in Bangkok who was tutoring Noi’s son and niece.

Owning two businesses with distinctly separate locations wasn’t a good option since it would be cost-prohibitive.

“There used to be a pet groomer in the location next door, so we decided if she ever left, we’d try something,” Bruce said.

Bruce’s brother owns the building, so they knew the rent would be reasonable.

Another cost savings opportunity presented itself when Bruce was completing a job for Kavanaugh’s Office City. Owner Bob Kavanaugh told Bruce he had fixtures he would sell rather than move to his company’s new location.

So, the fixtures, desk and display cases for Siam Orchid were affordable.

“Everything seemed to be falling into place,” Bruce said.

Then there was U. S. Customs and the struggle to get the inventory from Thailand to New Carlisle, which held up the store’s opening for a few weeks.

“As it turned out, we could have done it faster and cheaper, but this was our first-time learning curve. ... We want to figure this out so we can keep doing it,” Bruce said.

In addition to bringing goods from her homeland to Clark County, Noi wants to educate her clientele about Thai culture.

To that end, she’s prepared information about many of the items she sells, including materials used and cultural significance, that are printed on cards and then placed on fixtures for shoppers to read.

Noi is particularly fond of the paintings and other pieces of art.

“Her research and homework will help shoppers know what they’re getting and exactly where it’s from. Everything will help show her culture and heritage,” Bruce said. “We want to highlight Thailand, what it has to offer and the talents of its people.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.