The Lill Curio Shop located in Whiting Mills Artist Studios (Winsted) is an intriguing vintage gift shop filled with unusual relics from the past, antique-inspired jewelry, crafts, and fine-art prints. Owner & artist Debra Lill combines her love of books with her passion for Steampunk and Victorian collectibles; creating a space to shop, and to dress up for a vintage photoshoot!

Step inside the Lill Curio Shop…

You’ll be pretty curious before you even step inside the shop. Because to get there, you have to make your way through Whiting Mills, an enchanting historic mill building, now converted into wonderful studios for artists, craftspeople, and retailers!

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It started with a photography studio…

Debra Lill first moved into Whiting Mills in 2007 and kept a photography studio there to shoot images for book covers for the likes of Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, Ian McEwan, and James Patterson!

Ten years later, she decided to convert the front half of her photo studio into a vintage gift shop. Since Debra only used the area near the windows for her photography, she figured, why not?

And that’s how the Lill Curio Shop was born.

The woman behind many of the book covers we all know!

As a professional book cover photographer, Debra’s area of expertise is re-creating the past for many best-selling novels. There are props and costume pieces that were used for book cover projects, along with prints of book cover images on display throughout the shop.

The photo studio is located in the back of the shop. And this is where we had our unforgettable suffragette shoot!

Book a photo session for you & your family or friends!

Debra is currently booking private vintage photo sessions in the Curio Shop Photo Studio, for those who want a special photo, family portrait, or gift. She’s got a great costume area to pull from, along with props.

The light in the studio and in the historical hallway (an additional awesome shoot area!) is INCREDIBLE!