A Family Business
My name is Martha Vanderhoop and I’m the owner of Hatmarcha Gifts. Hatmarcha Gifts is a Wampanoag-owned family business at the Gay Head Cliffs on Martha’s Vineyard. We carry Wampanoag-made wampum jewelry, scrimshaw, turquoise and silver jewelry, unique t-shirts and apparel, and more. I love meeting visitors to the island. Seeing familiar faces year after year is one of my favorite parts of running the store. Over the years, I have made lasting connections and friendships with people from around the world.
Charlie Vanderhoop as a child at the Gay Head Lighthouse
My father, Charlie Vanderhoop, was born at the Gay Head Lighthouse in 1921 where his father was the first and only Wampanoag Principal Keeper of the famous lighthouse. My dad loved his childhood in Gay Head. Even though the town was far more isolated then, there were still tourists who came to see the lighthouse and clay cliffs. My dad sold handmade pottery from the cliffs to some of these tourists. As an adult, my father became a sea captain, sailing all around the world and serving in the Merchant Marines. After World War II, he met my mother Hatsuko in Japan.
My parents founded Hatmarcha Gifts in 1974, when I was in college. Every summer, I came home to help them sell scrimshaw, wampum, clothing, and other gifts. My father loved entertaining customers with tales of his maritime travels and stories of the island’s past. My mother had always dreamed of opening her own business and worked tirelessly to make Hatmarcha Gifts a success.
Charlie and Hatsuko Vanderhoop
Today, I am proud to sell my handmade silver and wampum jewelry at Hatmarcha Gifts alongside Native-made products from across the country, local island goods, and other gifts. Each piece of my jewelry reflects a part of my life. I was born in Japan and grew up between Martha’s Vineyard and New Bedford, the famous whaling city. As an Aquinnah Wampanoag artist, I draw inspiration from my beautiful island home on Martha’s Vineyard. I love translating the seaweed, sand dunes, and animal life of the island into my jewelry. My work is also influenced by the simple elegance of Japanese aesthetics and my lifelong connection to the ocean. I hope you will enjoy the beautiful shapes and patterns that have inspired me. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share the island and products that I am proud of. I hope to see you soon!
