Copyright © 2009-2011 by Darling Associates LLC dba North of the Falls. All rights reserved.

 Last updated Tuesday, January 11, 2011.  Site design by Techdesys, Bradford, VT.

Dick is an engineer with an office above the store.

Nikki, a life-long educator, manages the store.

Becca is on the staff at Wellesley College.

Mick is an entrepreneur in the Boston area.

We are a family partnership consisting of Nikki, Dick, Becca, and Mick Darling. Nikki and Dick are married and live in Bradford; Mick and Becca, Dick’s son and daughter-in-law, live in the Boston area. Nikki is the store's day-to-day manager.

North of the Falls was founded and named in 2003 by Mark Johnson, the owner of the Bliss Village Store, our present next-door business neighbor. We purchased the North of the Falls business from Mark in 2005. That transaction took place shortly after Nikki’s birthday, and the family joke is that she was given the choice of a swimming pool or a store as a birthday present - and she made a rash decision.

We decided to purchase North of the Falls because we felt it had evolved into an operation that significantly enhanced Bradford’s unusually intact working downtown. Despite our own complete lack of retail experience, we wanted to help that process continue. With family roots that go back several generations in the Bradford area, we feel a commitment to helping the town thrive. Although we always aim to have the store support itself, we make most business decisions with an eye to maintaining a people-oriented downtown concept that is rapidly dying out in many parts of the country.

As the years have passed, we’ve learned a lot about retail, art, and craftsmanship, and have expanded the store’s offerings and display space substantially. We’ve been helped by a creative, talented, and generous community which includes the Bradford merchants, many volunteers, local artisans, and our staff who have all been essential to our success.

Please drop by and see us. Visit some of our business neighbors too.