This Month’s Featured Article

“Dugazon was born from our shared deep appreciation for heritage, discovery, and experiences that have shaped a life well-lived,” says Bobby Graham and Matt Marden, owners of the newly opened home goods store Dugazon, located in Sharon, CT. 

The concept behind Dugazon has been in the making since Graham and Marden’s first date 21 years ago. “Bobby told me about his idea for Dugazon on our first date, so I’m thrilled that his dream has now become our reality,” Marden says. 

Bringing their roots to Litchfield County

Marden, who grew up in New Hampshire and Cape Cod, before moving to New York City following college, worked in fashion for many years. His first job in New York was at the Staley-Wise Gallery, where he learned about the history of fashion through photography. He went on to work in men’s fashion in a variety of capacities, including as an editor at Town & Country, stylist and former fashion director at Details, and style director at Esquire. 

“We had been talking about Dugazon for years. At every apartment we had, there was always a moodboard in a corner where we would tack inspiration and ideas. After we bought our house in Salisbury in 2020 and fell in love with the area, we started discussing it for real,” Marden shares. 

For Graham, who is originally from South Dakota, Dugazon is a personal project that hits close to home. He drew inspiration from his mother’s maiden name – Dugazon. “I always look forward to and cherish the time that we spend every summer in Louisiana with my mother’s family,” he says. “They taught me the importance of bringing together family and friends through hospitality, entertaining, and cooking fabulous meals to be shared together at home.” 

After living and working in New York City for 28 years in fashion advertising sales for Conde Nast across a smattering of magazines including Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, AD, and The New Yorker, it was finally time to make the dream of Dugazon a reality. 

“The store’s message can be summed up as the warmth of a well-lived and loved home, where every object has meaning,” Marden and Graham say. 

Curating goods with a discerning eye

Dugazon is filled with items that feel both rare and familiar. Graham and Marden curate with care, basing their choices around the concept of elevated simplicity for products that are meant to be used and lived with. 

Specifically, Dugazon offers items for the home, kitchen, and entertaining, as well as special, unexpected pieces. The shop features finds from well-known brands including John Derian, La Double J, Zucchini Fish, Ursa Major, and Il Buco Vita, as well as recent discoveries such as candles from Dévoile, ester&erik, and Charvet Editions linens from France. Additionally, customers can find products from favorite local makers, including ceramics by DBO Home, and stationery and jams from Mr. P’s Place Card Company.

“Dugazon is about taking the time to choose what feels right, embracing the beauty of the everyday, and always adding a lagniappe – ‘a little extra,’” Marden and Graham share. “It’s a place for those who love their home and find joy in cooking, entertaining, and sharing. Where each visit unfolds like a story – rooted in taste, history, and thoughtful intention.”

Dugazon also has a beautiful collection of first-edition hardcover on Marden’s book carousel, including You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again, a memoir by Julia Phillips detailing her career as film producer in 1970s and 1980s Hollywood; The Rules of Attraction, a satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis about a group of rowdy students at a liberal arts college in 1980s New Hampshire; and Every Secret Thing, the Patricia Hearst memoir. 

In addition to the hardcover books, Dugazon also has a plethora of Marden and Graham’s favorite Junior League cookbooks, including River Road, Colorado Cache, SoupCon, Dining Dakota Style, Talk About Good!, and many more. 

“Our products are always changing and evolving within the shop. Come in often to discover what we are up to!” •

To learn more about Dugazon, visit them in the shop at 19 W Main Street, Suite 2, Sharon, CT, online at dugazonshop.com, and on Instagram @dugazonshop.

All photography by Jeff Holt.