Many a small business has been founded on an interest sparked by a hobby or a skill from a former job. So it was for Emma Sills, who formerly consulted on marketing, branding and event planning. A rich background for opening Windie’s, a store split between food products and carefully curated items for hosting, entertaining, eating and drinking.

Windie’s opened in November 2024, and a recent expansion doubled the space and created more room for special events, such as wine tastings and the monthly Cookbook Club. This ticketed event includes a cookbook, wine and cocktails, appetizers and a curated gift to accompany a potluck meal prepared by attendees from recipes in the featured cookbook. Equal parts supper club and community builder, it has quickly become a lively way for home cooks and food lovers to connect around the table.

The expansion also allowed larger coolers for everyday staples—milk, eggs, yogurt—and takeout meals from nearby restaurants, such as empanadas from the Oyster Club’s Chef Renee Touponce, Meryl + Masa rice or farro bowls and Nana’s Bakery rye/chocolate chip cookies. Other local sources include Enjoy Coffee Roasters, Big Feeling ice cream and honey from Block Island. Windie’s could be a quick market stop, a browse-a-while shop or an eye-catching spot for a food event. Why not try all three?

80 High St., Westerly. 401.646.4583; WindiesWesterly.com

Johnette Rodriguez is a food, travel and arts writer published in Yankee, Saveur, The Boston Globe, SO Rhode Island and The Westerly Sun.