Soutner’s Hallmark Cards & Gifts and ”The Country Store Upstairs” - The origin of these buildings is unknown. In the early 1900s Mr & Mrs Rice lived upstairs and ran a stationary store downstairs. Their son, William, and his wife expanded the business to a gift shop. Back in 1800 F. M. Rice ran a stagecoach in town. It could have originally been a hostelry shop. The other building is believed to have been an early residence, a harness shop, a tailor and Rice's Hardware

Soutner’s is located on the square, in the JC Penney Catalog building. Opened since 1989, the store features a large selection of Hallmark cards, wrap, party goods, gifts, Yankee candles, and loads of Christmas merchandise and crafts. New this fall was the addition of “The Country Store Upstairs”. A whole new level upstairs, full of “country store” merchandise, Primitives, Lang products, Homespun & Linens, food items, bath products, candles, and crafts galore, all in a quaint old-time store setting. With the expansion upstairs there is now much more room for both the “country” merchandise, and downstairs enlarged selection of the “traditional” gift lines. Soutner’s is now your ‘one-stop’ gift shopping and greeting card source, right in downtown Newport.