Artisans At Stetson

The female entrepreneurs behind Harvard Squares 40 Winx had a hard time getting their business going. Some bankers and realtors found the concept unmentionable. More on that in a moment, but first Ted is taking us to a place where many hands make shopping easier. Here in the town of Randolph, Stately Stetson Hall dates back to 1842. In one of the largest buildings in Randolph, you can see it for a good mile down the street. Normally the town hall, this Greek revival building is now home to offices, event space and a co-op, the artisans at Stetson Hall. So the artisan co-op is a group of vendors, artisans, entrepreneurs and crafters have come together and share in the finance, the operations and also the management of this shop. So the co-comfort is right here. A retired transportation executive for the state, Mary Fernandez owns the co-ops Vermauget Tea. Of course The co-op stocks other handmade goods from children's furniture to handbags to terrari Locals come in regularly to see what's new. It helps us connect to the community. It's really interesting when you start having conversation with local people, which is something you don't necessarily get if you're online or even if you're in a large mall. Co-op member Christine Hannon works full time as an HR manager in healthcare and runs so creative gift shop on the side. Some of the things that I'm working on today are actually wine charm coasters. They come in a set of four and they're all different so That is so cute. This allows us to be in the shop Friday through Sunday, work with a lot of other artisans and then collaborate on a lot of different things. And that's the kind of beauty of the co-op is that it allows individuals who do work full time to sell because we share the time in the space. So that's where you're getting your flavor. Whether you're shopping for yourself or a significant other, buying some products can be intimidating. We wanted it to be a place where women could come and get fit for a bra. It isn'the easiest thing for a lot of women. Rachel Wemworth is co-owner of Forty Winks in Harvard Square. The name is an old-fashioned expression to take a cat nap. I think they say it a lot in England. My grandmother used to say it. Wemworth and her business partner Meredith Aminkeenan worked together at Mint Julep, another local boutique. I wanted to open my own store but I wanted it to be pretty niche because I feel Many of the brands here are under the radar. Cult favorites. This is a lingerie designer out of New Zealand called Lonely. We go to buying shows twice a year and we find new designers and then we also find a lot of designers on Instagram. Forty Winks opened in 2010 after a year spent putting together a business plan. Were rejected a lot. Were rejected from some banks. Were rejected from some realtors but we persevered and did it. Today Wemworth shares stories from the world of retail entrepreneurs with a keeping shop podcast featured our owners of brick and mortar stores across the country. Wemworth says she's noticed a pattern. The more up and coming smaller areas seem to be where some of the brick and mortars are thriving more because the communities are really willing to support those newer boutiques. Despite the ever persistent uptick in online shopping, Wemworth says there will always be room for small retailers. What we can offer a customer is different than what they can get just shopping from their couch. And back to the artisans at Setson Hall. They actually closed up shop recently so they could renovate and they're going to have a whole new look to the store. The grand reopening is actually next weekend and new additions include Haitian art and a book nook. A book nook is well. It's very cozy. And that is Chronicle 4 tonight. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Anthony Everett. And I'm Shayna Seymour. Great evening everyone. We hope to see you right back here tomorrow night.