A Good Eye and a Craftswoman's Touch
Welcome! I'm Norine Pennachia, and touchGOODS is my life's work.
touchGOODS is the brick-and-mortar expression of everything I love about good design and the way it makes us feel: Warm, relaxed, grounded, and joyful.
Great design should be for everyone, and it's what turns a home into a haven. My mission is to surprise and delight with beautiful, high-quality goods that people can't find anywhere else.
But I didn't get here by accident.
For nearly two decades, I've put my passion for interior design into everything I touch. It began with my undying love for mid-century modern aesthetics. Clean, sweeping lines. Soft edges and simple ornamentation. Minimal fuss, well-constructed joints, and superior wood with the warmest of tones. These elements not only please the eye, but evoke sublime feelings of nostalgia for so many of us.
This led me to manage a family-owned furniture business in the Hamptons. I learned everything creative and administrative about the traditional design and lighting fields. I taught myself to build websites when none existed and worked with top designers in NYC and the Hamptons on custom projects.
I did it all – but for someone else's venture.
By 2013, my entrepreneurial itch was too big to ignore. On all those commutes to and from the Hamptons, I collected mid-century modern pieces to refinish in my backyard – but never had anywhere to put them. So when a retail space opened up in Southold, NY, on Long Island's beautiful North Fork, I knew it was my moment. Channeling all the knowledge I'd amassed, I signed a lease and opened touchGOODS within three months, and never looked back.
When Compliment the Chef closed next door in 2022, I expanded into their space to carry the torch, adding new departments for housewares and kitchen goods. I also built a lighting showroom to feature three exclusive collections from Italy.
What's in the name? I took inspiration from the British phrase "touch wood," (a.k.a. "knock on wood"), after working with a UK-based design business. I found myself saying it all the time. Plus, my husband's nearby Italian restaurant – family-owned for over 30 years – is called Touch of Venice. We live and breathe small business in my house, and wouldn't have it any other way.
I look forward to seeing you in the store soon. Come on in to see – and touch – for yourself. Our door is always open.