Natalie Wray, founder and owner of Sunwray Apparel, is all about combining local artistry with Newport’s seaside living.
Hailing from Burlington, Vt., Wray first discovered the coastal community a decade ago. For years she worked in marketing and branding, rising to be creative director for a marketing agency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she relocated to Newport full time. Not one for isolation, she spent hours walking the beaches, wharves and cobblestone streets.
A talented purveyor of other people’s visions, she decided it was time to make a change.
“I was designing and building other brands, building these visual identities and marketing campaigns,” she said. “And I always wanted to create a brand of my own, but I didn’t know what that would look like.”
The idea of creating freely, with no outside opinions or requirements, became an attractive concept during the pandemic. Her time on the beaches and walking the streets started to shape her work.
“My work started reflecting that,” she said. “The ocean lifestyle and small New England towns. It felt like a brand to me.”
The boutique specializes in local art, apparel and home goods, all infused with sea, salt and community themes.
From the Forty Steps staircase on the Cliff Walk and Sachuest Beach to sailing Narragansett Bay, “everything is about the ocean and the beach lifestyle,” Wray said.
The artisanal subculture is mostly filled with pop-up designers and e-commerce businesses.
Wray was still uncertain that a brick-and-mortar location was feasible given the high demand and skyrocketing prices. But a combination of serendipity and the explosion of boutique, women-owned shops in the city put that to bed.
“I was really impressed by the local small-business community in Newport. There are so many women-owned businesses downtown,” Wray said. “I was inspired by their stories and seeing them thrive, grow and be successful and make it. I thought I can jump right in, too.”
And while the summertime foot traffic on Thames Street may be the pinnacle of desired locations, its sister street one block north has its own charms. Plus, the rent is cheaper.
“I look at it [as] a bit of a secondary market. You have more one-on-one quality conversations with customers,” she said. “So, I could do it with a little less risk.”
Wray selects pieces but also designs and hand-produces many herself, one design at a time: T-shirts inspired by Sachuest Point, ceramics, Turkish towels, embroidered patches, illustrations and designs, all inspired by the island’s landscape.
It wasn’t’ easy finding a location. After months of searching the online classifieds ended in disappointment, Wray happened to be jogging down Spring Street one day when she came across a “For Rent” sign. She called the number.
“I had almost given up because I couldn’t find anything,” she said. “But that’s how it is in Newport. It’s a lot of word of mouth.”
OWNER: Natalie Wray
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Clothing boutique
LOCATION: 223 Spring St., Newport
YEAR FOUNDED: 2024
EMPLOYEES: Six
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
