Achieve Your Elevated Entertaining Goals with Homeport

Home accessories and beauty products line the shelves. Photo courtesy of Homeport/Shannon Hammond Photography

Homeport owner Leslie Normann. Photo courtesy of Homeport/Shannon Hammond Photography

In 2023, after working in the wedding industry, Leslie Normann wanted to make a career change. “When I thought about what I would do in my future, I realized that I loved spending time creating a beautiful table and a meal for family and friends,” she says. “I think Newport shares that passion as well. I wanted to share my love of hosting with others, and the store was a perfect way to do so.”

Normann first opened Homeport in June of 2023, in a quaint space on Spring Street right across from Trinity Church. When retail space became available on Bellevue Avenue, she jumped on the opportunity. “Since the inception of Homeport, it has always been a goal of mine to be on Bellevue Avenue,” says Normann. “I am super thankful to have started on Spring Street to get our footing in the Newport market and to meet so many wonderful people.”

The new storefront has expansive windows, lots of natural light and a green Dutch door. Normann focuses on chic and coveted homewares with a specialty in tabletop pieces — china and ceramics in palettes of blues, whites, soft greens and pale pinks, printed tablecloths, linens and mix-and-match glassware. “The aesthetic I am going for is coastal elegance and quiet luxury with a drop of European influence,” Normann says. “I primarily source pieces that I use in my own home and come across in my travels.”  

White shelving along the walls features lacquered picture frames, candles and diffusers by Carrière Frères, hand soaps and creams from French line Bienaimé, and glassware and cookbooks from Ina Garten and Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen. A long table in the center of the store features everything you would want to pull off a dreamy dinner party: ceramic bottles of extra virgin olive oil from Italy, scalloped cocktail napkins, etched glasses, candle holders, vases and blue rim platters. There are also pillows, throws, stationery, artwork, jewelry and gifts for bridesmaids.

More than just a home store, Normann hopes with her hospitality and wedding background she can expand Homeport’s registry business in Newport. “I offer a curated shopping experience that people find refreshing,” says Normann. “I have a specific aesthetic, but the new space offers a beautiful blank backdrop letting the product really stand out and shine for itself.” homeportri.com