About us
Overview
We're here to make shopping for kids more sustainable, affordable, and fun. We want to make resale the default way of shopping for kids' clothes, shoes, accessories, books, and toys. Our goal is to make shopping secondhand as easy (and fun) as possible!
We began as a brick-and-mortar consignment store in Easton, MA over 30 years ago. Today, we have since expanded into an online business where shoppers can both buy individual items or order a curated, personalized Merrybox of outfits. We also still have a physical store in Easton, where we're proud to be a part of the local community.
Our mission
At Merry Go Rounds, our mission is to make shopping for kids more sustainable, affordable, and fun. We want to change people’s perception of resale and bring joy and a personal touch to the shopping experience. Through our business, we hope to reduce waste, promote conscious consumption, and keep resources within our local community.
Our goal is a world where everyone shops secondhand first and where resale is seen as the best possible option. That’s why we are obsessed with quality and excellence. Every item we sell has been inspected multiple times to ensure it’s in perfect condition.
We strive to make the earth a better place for current and future generations. Shopping resale is one of the smartest and easiest ways to live more sustainably and intentionally. We believe in curiosity, kindness, diversity, and joy, and we are constantly learning and improving ourselves. Thank you for being a part of our movement!
Our impact
Through our business, we hope to reduce textile waste, challenge the consumerist culture, catalyze conversations around the circular economy, and ultimately minimize the resources used to produce new clothing.
By extending the life of existing items and offering a convenient, enjoyable way for people to shop resale, rather than buying new, our business model is fundamentally sustainable. By buying secondhand, you divert high-quality products from going to landfills prematurely, and you also reduce the demand for new items to be produced. We estimate that in 2019 alone, we kept 6.24 tons of high-quality items in circulation, reducing demand for the resource-intensive production of new items.
Our original store in South Easton, MA.
Our current store in North Easton, MA.
Our history
We have been extending the life of children's goods since our doors opened in 1989. In 2019, we opened our second brick-and-mortar location in North Easton, MA, while also launching our online store. In 2020, we consolidated the two locations into the new, larger North Easton store. We also launched custom Merryboxes as a way to receive personalized, curated bundles of outfits. As we evolve, we are able to provide our customers with an increasingly organized and extensive selection of merchandise and a more streamlined shopping experience.
Our community
We are a proud member of the local Easton community. We are lucky to play a role as not just a store, but a meeting place for parents, kids, and friends. Virtually all of our consignors come from the local community (Easton and the surrounding towns), and most of our sales are made to local customers as well. We are committed to creating value for our local community first and foremost, both by offering a great way to shop for affordable, high quality kids' goods, and by giving parents a sustainable way to re-home their outgrown kids' items, while also earning some extra cash.
We are a women-owned, family-owned business and are in the process of becoming a certified B Corporation. This network of sustainable, mission-driven businesses is another community that we're proud to join. Learn more about our B Corp certification process on our blog:
- Introduction: Becoming a B Corp
- The B Impact Assessment: The first pass
- B Corp certification: Why are we doing this?
- B Corp certification: The data we need and how we're using it
In addition to having a sustainability-driven business model, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities by engaging in strategic philanthropy. We give financial and in-kind support to local nonprofits that strengthen our communities, as well as those that create positive environmental impact.
We are also proud to be a member of NARTS, the National Association of Resale Professionals; a member of the Easton Chamber of Commerce; and a founding brand signatory of the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge.
Nicole, Beth, and Melissa Mazzeo at the opening day of our North Easton location.
Our team
We are proud to be a women-owned, multigenerational family business. Beth and Melissa Mazzeo are the mother-daughter team behind Merry Go Rounds. Beth has owned the business for over twenty years, and Melissa has recently stepped in as co-owner and CEO, after receiving an MBA and Master of Environmental Management from Yale University. We're also lucky to have wonderful staff, who in many ways feel like family. It is important to us to provide good jobs for members of our community, and we have a formal commitment to hiring locally, even as our business grows beyond our physical store. We’ve also been fortunate to have undergraduate and graduate student interns and consultants from Babson, Yale, Boston College, and Northeastern.
Frequently asked questions
For questions specifically about consigning, visit our How to Consign page.
What is a Merrybox?
A Merrybox is a curated box of 4-5 outfits based on a style quiz that you fill out. Tell us your size, style, and other preferences, and we'll put together outfits for you! Merryboxes are a great option for busy parents who don't have time to pick out specific items. They also make great gifts for new babies and kids of any age.
What items do you sell online vs. in-store?
We're listing new items on our online store regularly and plan to continually grow what's available for sale online. However, the items listed online are just a small taste of what we have! We choose a special selection of our most unique pieces to list online. To be listed online, an item must be a higher-end brand and/or unique in other ways (i.e., vintage, handmade, or with a specific message or image).
Are the photos on your website real?
Yes! We personally take all of the product photos on our website and do not use stock photos (the exception is toys for which we have multiples, like our Melissa & Doug collection of brand-new toys, and Halloween costumes). The photos are only edited to add a white background and to make the photo color match the actual item color as closely as possible. We do not edit the photos to make them look any different than how they look in person.
Can I pick up an item I bought online in-store?
Yes! Just select free local pickup when checking out, and you'll be able to pick up your item(s) in the store at your convenience. (Note that this option doesn't work if you're paying by PayPal; if this is the case, just contact us and we can make arrangements.)
Where do you ship?
We will ship anywhere in the world if it's at all possible. We love our international customers and are proud that our products are being worn by kids in Sweden, Uganda, Brazil, Sierra Leone, and beyond. Please note that international shipping costs can be high, so take that into consideration when placing an international order.
What are you doing about COVID-19?
We've reopened our North Easton store as of July 1, 2020 (hours are Monday-Saturday 10-5). Safety is our #1 priority in the store and we are following all precautions: we've installed a (custom made) plexiglass register shield, we disinfect surfaces regularly, and we require masks at all times. Our dressing rooms remain closed for now, and we've temporarily removed our kitchen play area. We are also waiting at least 48 hours before looking through any items dropped off for consignment.
During the lockdown, we focused our efforts on growing our online presence, which will continue! Visit our online store or sign up for a subscription Merrybox.
What happened to the store on Belmont Street?
We made the difficult decision to permanently close this location while we were closed during the COVID-19 lockdown. We've reorganized our North Easton store to fit much more inventory, and we think it'll be more convenient for our Easton customers to have everything in one place. More details are available on our Our Store page.
What do you do with items you can't sell?
We have partnered with Cahoots, a membership service for preloved kids' clothes, to repair or remake items with minor imperfections. For the rest of the items we can't sell, we've partnered with Helpsy, a B Corp that responsibly recycles clothing.
Who owns Merry Go Rounds?
We're proud to be a multi-generational family-owned business. Merry Go Rounds is co-owned by the mother-daughter team of Beth and Melissa Mazzeo. Beth has been the owner for over 20 years, and Melissa joined in June 2020 as the full-time CEO and co-owner. Learn more about her here!
Why shop resale?
Save money!
You can buy the same item you see new in stores for less than half the original price. Many items in our store are barely used or completely new, with original tags, for a fraction of the original price.
Help save the environment.
The materials and energy that go into producing clothing pollute the environment. Giving clothes a second chance for use reduces the need for production of new clothing.
Reduce waste in landfills.
Landfills worldwide are loaded with millions of tons of unnecessary trash, including clothing.
Buy local!
Instead of shopping at a big corporation where you don't know what business practices your money is supporting, buying from local, independently owned shops supports your community. (According to the American Independent Business Alliance, independent retailers return more than 3x as much money per dollar of sales to the local community than chain competitors).
What’s more: half of the money you spend at our store goes directly to other parents in the area—the consignors who bring us the products you buy.
It’s fun.
You never know what you’ll find when shopping resale. From classic must-have brands like Janie and Jack, Vineyard Vines, and Under Armour, to cult favorites like Lilly Pulitzer, tea, and Matilda Jane, to designer finds like Burberry, Versace, and Chloé, to the occasional handmade and vintage treasures, our store is full of truly special pieces.