Celebrating one year in Dorchester

It's been a year (and change) since our Dorchester store opened. In that time we've welcomed hundreds of families, met wonderful neighbors, built an all-star team, and put down roots in a community I'm proud to call home. We've helped thousands of items find new homes; deepened community partnerships; hosted pop-up sales, shopping events, networking breakfasts, and an in-store concert; participated in markets, events, and yard sales and presented to neighborhood groups; done a photoshoot, recorded a podcast, and got interviewed for the paper; spoken on panels and participated in a hackathon; and marched in the Dot Day Parade. It seems like a good time to pause, reflect, and celebrate this achievement.

Opening a second store in Dorchester was a culmination of many years’ worth of ambition. I had been talking about expanding Merry Go Rounds for at least a decade, long before I became the owner. That formally happened in 2020, when I took over the business from my mom, Beth, but I only started working on it full-time in late 2024. I spent a few months diving into existing operations and learning the ropes. I considered different options for growth: e-commerce, subscription boxes, additional services. But I kept coming back to physical expansion. I loved the magic we've created in our Easton store. It’s a truly special place where customers and consignors feel welcomed and taken care of, employees feel like family, and kids feel comfortable running straight to the playroom. The sense of community we’ve built is special, and I wanted to replicate that in the neighborhood where I lived. 

I started putting out feelers in Dorchester and quickly connected with Michaela, the owner of The Local Hand and president of Greater Ashmont Main Street. She generously hosted us for a pop-up shopping event in August 2024, where I introduced Merry Go Rounds to Dorchester parents, who validated the demand for a business like ours. A few months later, she told me about a space potentially opening up. It turned out that the building owner was an Easton resident whose wife was one of our long-time customers - it was fate! I signed the lease in March 2025 without a full-fledged plan but with a lot of excitement and the belief (delusion?) that everything would fall into place.

From the beginning, making this second store a reality was a group effort. So I'd like to use the rest of this post to thank everyone who played a part:

• My mom, Beth, for running this business so successfully for 20+ years; supporting my vision for expanding it; sharing her wisdom, experience, and advice on all aspects of the business; and designing and building out the new location.
• My dad, Nick, for conveniently retiring right when we were setting up the new store and lending his time, energy, skills, and toolbox to the cause.
• My sister, Nicole (aka Pleasure Pie), for her creative vision, design skills, and strategic planning sessions.
• My partner, Micah, for his project management skills, handyman abilities, and unwavering support.
• Micah's stepdad, Anthony, for his generosity, dad jokes, and professional painting expertise.
• Micah's mom, Maud, for spreading the word and connecting us to whatever help we needed.
  
• My friends (Lauren, Sarah, Zack, Mark, Maria, Elise, Kristina, Candice, Christa, Amanda, and many others), for donating their time to help clean, paint, and stuff goody bags, and for their endless support and business brainstorming.
• Our team at the Easton store (Raquel, Amy, Titiksha, Sonia, Izzy, Jamie, and Lynne), for holding down the fort so solidly, sharing ideas and advice for how to effectively run two stores, and welcoming the new team into the MGR family. 
• Our team in Dorchester (Tisha, Bri, Miah, and Crystal-Grace) for diving into this new adventure and shaping the store's identity from the beginning.
• Our Dorchester customers and consignors who took a chance on a new business in the neighborhood.
• Our Easton customers and consignors for their well wishes, support, and referrals.
• Cradles to Crayons for being such impactful partners and for distributing clothes to thousands of kids across Massachusetts.
• Michaela, for being my local shop owner buddy and co-strategist and for providing endless merchandising inspiration with The Local Hand.
• Mike, for being a kind and fair landlord and neighbor and for championing independent businesses with Crawford Drug.
• Stefano, Juan, and the Via Cannuccia crew for being such friendly neighbors and making the best pastries in town.
• Elle and Greater Ashmont Main Street for their warm welcome to the neighborhood and genuinely enjoyable networking opportunities.
• Ali and Maddie, our College for Social Innovation interns who took on ever-changing projects with enthusiasm.
• Andrea and the two UMass Boston student teams for their help with social media and marketing strategy.
  
• Other local consignment store owners (Hanadi from Covet, Lauren from The Round Rack, Sree from Hunt + Trade, Caitlin from Fiddle & Find, Lisa from Kids Echo, Jolie from JuJu B's Recycled Wear) for their advice, promotion, and commiseration.
• The Dorchester Reporter, Bay State Banner, and DotLife podcast for media coverage of our opening.
• City Councilor Erin Murphy for her enthusiasm and support from the beginning.
• The local neighborhood groups around Dorchester that allowed us to share our business with their members.
• Codman Square NDC's Climate Justice Alliance and small business program for allowing us to spread the sustainable consumption gospel.
  
• B Local Boston, the Center for Women and Enterprise, Circular Boston, and NARTS for the communities and resources they provide.
• SimpleConsign for being a true partner, not just a software provider.
• Comcast RISE and the City of Boston's ReStore program for funding and technical support and for their commitment to small businesses.

Here's to year two!