CORNWALL — It’s been about 40 years since the Town Hall vault walls have been painted. Behind the shelves there are patches of bare cement block. What was painted is now peeling badly. The cement floor could use work, too.Town Clerk Vera Dinneen’s original plan was to do the work herself, maybe with a little volunteer help, over a weekend. She envisioned a much brighter atmosphere, with light from the old fluorescents reflecting off glossy white paint.She also knew there were regulations to consult. But she was more than a little taken aback when she was told the entire vault needed to be emptied before any painting could begin. Records were to be moved to a code-compliant vault to which the public would still have access. Even the chemicals the paint might outgas are a threat to old documents; ventilation was a concern.What had started as a plan for a simple paint job was shaping up to be an expensive logistical nightmare.Dinneen has since worked with the Connecticut State Library, which has jurisdiction over public records storage (with the exception of vital records — birth, marriage, divorce, death — which are under the purview of the Department of Public Health).It is state library Field Archivist Kathy Makover who is ultimately responsible for inspecting and approving vaults where records are stored. Public Records Administrator LeAnn Power works with Makover and told The Lakeville Journal projects such as this are not uncommon and often take unique approaches. At a recent project in Waterbury, records were stored temporarily in vaults in two former banks buildings, for example.“In Cornwall, because the paint is peeling and there are unsealed sections, we can give them the option of painting without moving records,” Power said, “provided they use the correct materials and procedure.”Dinneen said this week she had received a long list of requirements from Makover and had two bids from professional painters. The Board of Selectmen voted Feb. 7 to hire Fox Painting of West Cornwall to do the work. The quote was $1,250.The list includes using low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) water-based paint, primer and sealer. Heavy-duty tarps need to be taped to cabinets and shelves to seal out dust and fumes.Walls and floors need to be cleaned of dust with a HEPA filter vacuum before painting.Work needs to be done when temperature and humidity are low, and always while the town clerk is present. Fans need to be used for ventilation for at least several days after the project is completed. Timing also has to allow for the vault to not be closed for longer than overnight for the first few days.Once a bid and plan are in place, it needs to be submitted to the field archivist for approval.Power said vital records may have still have to be relocated. That is up to the Department of Health and the Public Records administrator.State statute dictates a lengthy list of requirements for vaults, much of it about fire-resistance. The law was enacted in 1969, presumably in response to the loss of public records to fires.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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