About Us

Once upon a time (way back in the late 1900s), there was a young groovy couple named Lorraine and Fran who were trying to figure out what they wanted to be when they grew up.

They started dabbling in buying and fixing up old houses. Lorraine got her Real Estate license, and when she wasn't driving school bus, she was searching for the next good investment.  Fran loaded up his old red Ford pick-up and got to work bringing houses that no one else wanted back to life.  

*Please ignore the flag in this pic.  It was a prop in the old-time photo.
It does not reflect the political or social views of the subjects then or now.  The photo is just too awesome not to share.
   
It turns out their destiny was waiting for them in one of those old, crooked, nearly condemned buildings.  They attended a public auction in the mid-1980s and snatched up the former Abood's Tavern/ Nora & Irene's Beauty Salon building at 333 North Main Street, Moosup CT for $16,500!  Fran gutted the place and reconfigured the building into retail space and apartments.  While Fran was hammering nails, Lorraine was dreaming of a business to fill the storefront.  They listened to many ideas from friends and family:


"A bakery!" suggested Lorraine's sister.

"A stuffed animal store!" screamed their daughters.

But Lorraine saw a need in the market and she would not be deterred.  Cloud Nine Gift Shoppe was born and opened on July 1, 1988.  Lorraine opened the store with a wide array of mainstream gift items, incense, potpourri, stuffed animals (to make their daughters happy), and a small section of smoking accessories (gasp!).  Eventually, the stuffed animal inventory dwindled, and it was replaced with what her customers really wanted: More smoking accessories, unique gifts and lots of incense.

After 32 years in business, and after being closed for 6 weeks due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Cloud Nine finally decided to add e-commerce to the mix.  Cloud Nine has always been a family business, and our customers over the years have felt like family too. We thank you all for your continued support. 

Come back and visit us often- Online and in Moosup!  We have hundreds (probably thousands) of unique items, many handmade by local glass blowing artists, and we will gradually be adding them to our online inventory.  

Peace, Love & Happiness.  

Lorraine (Luna) and the Cloud Nine Family