Take a look back at the early years of Neighborhood Narratives, when the Beacon Hill Women’s Forum began shining a spotlight on the local businesses, organizations, and community leaders that help make the neighborhood so special. Explore our featured Neighborhood Narratives from 2013–2018 and rediscover the people, places, and stories that have contributed to the unique character of Beacon Hill.
Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill
Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill ~ Part of Beacon Hill since 1982, this awarding winning specialty gift boutique located at 46 Charles Street is proud to have been welcoming YOU for 36 years! Blackstone’s continues to be a popular destination for locals and visitors for their unique and distinctive gifts – for all reasons and all seasons – including local products, Blackstone’s exclusives and Boston memorabilia.
KitchenWares ~ (Est. 2010) carries on the 38 year legacy of a family-owned kitchen store on Newbury Street. “KW” is widely known today for being a premium specialty kitchen store and now the largest fine cutlery source in the Greater Boston area. Awarded Best of Boston 2011 & 2016 by Boston Magazine and Best of Boston Home 2012 by Boston Magazine Home, KitchenWares offers high quality cutlery, cookware, bakeware and kitchen accessories and also provides professional in-house knife sharpening.
ABOUT JENNIFER
What are you most passionate about professionally?
As an extrovert I love people, I love meeting new people and most importantly, I love to see the joy in someone’s eyes when I have been able to make them happy. This makes retail a natural fit for me.
What one event in your childhood had the greatest effect on your life?
When my parents lost their retail business. It taught me the hardest job in retail is being disciplined in buying – now how much to buy and when to mark something down and move on to something new.
If you weren’t doing what you do today, what other job would you have?
I would be nurse.
What are you surprisingly good at?
Each day I share a part of me with every person who walks through my shop door. Sharing for me is done through stories and stories are part of what makes my shops unique and it is an experience both myself and those who work alongside me like to share too. I like to find local artists with a story and products I personally relate to – like local Boston ceramic artist Jill Rosenwald whose brightly colored serving pieces and home décor products I carry at Blackstone’s. Sharing a part of me also includes comforting a stranger who is in town for treatment at the hospital and just needs to talk.
What is a typical day like for you?
Each day is ultimately defined by the people who walk through my shop door. One customer can lead to many things ~ a new product idea, a shared common experience, a new approach to something, even a new friendship.
What’s the craziest thing you have done?
Going into retail!
Gary Drug Company
My name is Gail Bray, I work at the Gary Drug, the oldest independent pharmacy in Boston. I have been at this store for the past 18 years, and have seen many changes in the neighborhood. Gary Drug is known to be the place like Cheers, where everyone knows your name, to being also like Vegas, where what happens here stays here.
HEIST
December Thieves, a Boston-born, multi-brand retail concept was founded by jewelry designer and veteran retailer Lana Barakat in 2013 as a way to capture the heart of the wandering traveler. In the spring of this year, December Thieves welcomed a new little sister, HEIST at 51 Charles St. With a focus on slow fashion, emerging design and small batch manufacturing, December Thieves + HEIST bring to market some of the newest and most talented brands in the apparel, accessories and home categories.
Moss covered walls, a ceiling dripping with crystals and swaths of natural light set a most romantic backdrop for the HEIST story. With a daring and romantic edit in apparel, shoes and home décor store Barakat scours the globe for exciting new-to-market brands to bring back home. Think German edgy women’s wear designer Rundholz, laser cut accessories from Italy’s Claudio Cutiliti, sparkling jewels from Santa Cruz designer Variance Object and handcrafted Cydwoq shoes from Southern California.
Helen’s Leather Shop
Established in 1969, Helen’s Leather Shop has evolved from a hippie leather goods shop to one which also represents the finest western cowboy boots, Stetson hats, Rockmount western wear, leather coats, bags, wallets, briefcases, backpacks, gloves, and belts. We have an excellent selection of western wear for country concerts, wild west parties as well as for those who wish to horseback ride in Jackson Hole. Motorcycle speed-devils can also invest in beautiful Schott jackets, leather pants, and Frye boots. Birkenstock and Naot brands are available for the leather sandal lovers! Helen’s also provides unmatched services for leather care and leather repairs. Stop by to experience the look that feels so good!
Rebekah Brooks – Rebekah Brooks Jewelry
Rebekah Brooks Jewelry is a small, local company specializing in the design and production of fine handmade jewelry. Our business began in Brooklyn, New York in 1998 and relocated to Western Massachusetts in 2004. Our flagship store is in Thornes Market in downtown Northampton MA and our second retail location is in Harvard Square in the heart of Cambridge MA. Our third and newest retail location is in the historical Beacon Hill neighborhood on Charles Street in Boston. Or newest location features an expanded selection of antique jewels alongside exquisite presentations of Rebekah’s handmade line.
Every facet of our jewelry, from earwires to castings, is made by hand in our studio by a talented team of jewlers. We stand firmly behind the detail and quality that goes into every single piece that we make. Our classic adornments are equally fashion forward and timeless. We offer custom jewelry options as well as new & vintage engagement and wedding rings. Our wedding and engagement rings are all handmade with the same attention to detail and are made custom to order. We also specialize in Victorian through Art Deco antique jewelry & gifts.
Crush and Whitney & Winston
Laura Ayers and Rebecca Hall are co-owners of Crush Boutique and Whitney + Winston, as well as lifelong friends. Growing up together on the Connecticut shoreline, Rebecca and Laura shared a childhood dream of opening a clothing boutique; a dream that they never lost sight of.
When Laura and Rebecca both moved to Boston post-college they fell in love with Boston as a city and Beacon Hill, specifically, as a neighborhood. They knew this was the perfect location to take a leap of faith and open their first retail store, Crush Boutique. Crush Boutique was launched in 2007 with a vision to bring a well curated collection of women’s clothing and accessories to Boston in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Customers are greeted by a knowledgeable sales staff who is always on hand to help find the perfect ensemble for all of life’s events. From casual-chic to elegant cocktail, Crush’s style can best be described as sophistication with a touch of whimsy.
Opening their second location of Crush Boutique on Newbury Street in 2012, Rebecca and Laura continue to evolve their business in order to change with the times and keep the Boston fashionista en vogue. Notably, Crush has been featured in InStyle, Lucky Magazine, Glamour UK, and Us Weekly. Additionally, Crush has received a number of Boston accolades; including several “Boston’s Best” awards from The Improper Bostonian and “Best of the New” from The Boston Globe.
In the fall of 2015, Rebecca and Laura wanted to expand their presence in Beacon Hill and opened Whitney + Winston, a fashionable lifestyle boutique, a half block from Crush’s Charles Street location. Named for Rebecca’s daughter and Laura’s corgi puppy, Whitney + Winston exudes a playful and airy, yet sophisticated, nature. Continuing the same exceptional customer service, the store is adorned with unique gifts and accessories. Whitney + Winston is the go-to stop for the perfect gifts for everyone, whether they walk on two legs or four. Credited by The Boston Globe as one of the “Best of the New” in the first year of business, Whitney + Winston is a fun new adventure for Laura and Rebecca that perfectly mirrors the newest stage in their lives.
You can always find Rebecca and Laura in one of their three locations working hard to uphold the brands’ stellar reputation. To say the success of the stores is a dream come true is an understatement!
Alix Childs – Ceremony
This is me at my wedding five years ago. (And that’s my foxy hubby, Ollie. You’ll probably see him around the shop now and then, too.)
I loved shopping for my wedding gown, but hated having to go to New York City to find “the one”. Ever since, I’ve had a vision of opening a new kind of bridal shop in Boston. Something for the bride with a sophisticated sense of style and a unique vision for her wedding day.
A place that’s not only filled with gorgeous, can’t-find-em-anywhere-else gowns, but that’s also laid-back and fun. A place where you want to hang out and play dress-up. Find your dream dress. Get inspired.
I opened Ceremony because I think women want to shop for their wedding day like they shop for everyday clothes – at a boutique that reflects their personal style.
I’d love to help you make this experience as special (and stylish) as possible and hope to see you soon.
Millicent Cutler – Oui Millie
We are your destination for what is current, comfortable, and original. Ouimillie is a Boston-based boutique and design studio, showcasing established and emerging talents from Europe and beyond. Owner and interior designer Millicent Cutler spends a portion of each calendar year in Paris, sourcing Ouimillie’s unique products. Her design work is both local and international, and always influenced by those around her.
Natalie Mercer, Mercer’s Fabric
http://mercersfabric.com/
Mercer’s Fabric is relatively new to the Beacon Hill neighborhood, opening just a few months ago in March of 2016. The goal of the shop is to provide and sustain a creative outlet for people who are both just getting into sewing now, or have been sewing for many years. From the start we offered patterns (mostly from individual artisans and designers, in the USA and abroad), fabric (with an emphasis on natural fibers and on unusual offerings not otherwise available in Boston), and sewing supplies.
In May, we expanded to offering basic sewing classes, and as Mercer’s grow, we plan to offer a diverse array of them, beginner to advanced. Group classes are offered as well as individual sessions, and we can even offer private lessons at your home, so you can use the machine you already have: whatever works best for you! Mercer’s also carries quilting, home decor, and upholstery fabrics, but the main focus is on apparel sewing.
Natalie Mercer, the proprietor, has sewn from a young age. While she has attended classes at MassArt in fashion design and clothing construction, she has gotten most of her training from her mother and grandmother, and is otherwise self taught. (Due to the wide availability of online sewing technique tutorials and videos, most people these days are indeed self taught, so Natalie enjoys being on the same “playing field” as her customers.) You do not need to attend an extended program to become proficient at sewing, especially as modern sewing machines are so highly capable. (We carry exclusively Baby Lock sewing machines and sergers.)
Mercer’s Fabric believes in creative freedom and individuality and would love to help with any kind of project a sewist might dream up, from simple tote bags and baby blankets to basic skirts and then more advanced dresses and more.
We are a new business and very excited to see where things go. Stop by anytime to get started on that project you’ve been too intimidated to start: now’s the time! Look for the hedgehog sign out front!
Margarita Druker, Persona Jewelry
Margarita Druker with her husband and master jeweler, Gary Shteyman, opened Persona Jewelry eleven years ago in the heart of Kenmore Square in the Hotel Commonwealth. Persona Jewelry specializes in one-of-a-kind custom jewelry, while also working with a variety of local artisans and jewelers. Over the course of the next 8 years they opened 6 more stores across the country with their special brand of lifestyle luxury stores combining the ease of hotel gift shops with the high-end jewelry merchandise Persona was known for. This landed Margarita in the pages of the Boston Business Journal as one of the business innovators of 2008.
Born in Moldova, Margarita achieved the true American dream that she had been promised as a child. Margarita began her career very young, graduating high school at sixteen years old and college at nineteen. She was one of the youngest students ever to graduate Babson College with an advanced degree in Entrepreneurship & Marketing. She was the queen of nightlife in Boston connecting thousands of nightclub denizens with open space throughout the city to establish dance nights or cocktail hours that are still in effect over a decade later. Next came restaurant management, with a variety of foodie names throughout the city. This is when her personal and professional life merged with her husband Gary who had recently become a master jeweler after 13 years apprenticing and creating his own lines of jewelry in Newton.
It was time for the next career move. At the age of 22 Margarita launched her jewelry company, Persona Jewelry. In the year 2004, the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square was the talk of the town. Promised was an extension of Newbury Street, the fashion trail that begins at the Boston Common and would now trail past Mass Ave through to Kenmore Square. Stores opened, stores closed, but Persona remained resilient. When remodeling threatened the future of the store on the eve of their ten year anniversary at Hotel Commonwealth, Persona took the opportunity to start fresh, moving to historic Beacon Hill, where Margarita had always envisioned her bijoux. Over one year on Charles Street has proven that success can come from happy accidents by those with the skills to navigate them.
Lana Barakat, December Thieves
December Thieves is a creative and dynamic artist-owned, artist-run retail concept with two brick and mortar locations in Boston.
The collections offered in store– many exclusive only to December Thieves in Boston or in some cases in the US- feature distinctive lines of sophisticated and contemporary apparel, jewelry, personal accessory and home décor brands from independent and hard-to-find US and international designers.
Lana Barakat is the founder of December Thieves. Also a jewelry designer, Lana owned and operated her first store from 2002- 2007 on Newbury St. which featured her own designs in addition to a range of emerging jewelry designer brands. Taking a “retail break” for several years to concentrate on her wholesale and ecommerce business while starting a family, Lana found herself itching to return to her passion and opened her first December Thieves store in the fall of 2013 in the South End. The incredible opportunity to join the Beacon Hill neighborhood presented itself only one short year later. The South End location plays host to various workshops and pop ups, enhancing creative connections between customers and the local artist community and the Beacon Hill store focuses on providing shoppers with a wide array of quality products (may of them one-of-a-kind), and an engaging and informative approach to relationship building with our customers.
Tara Foley and Amy Murphy, Follain
Follain is a new kind of beauty store. Our curated portfolio includes safe and effective products by 40 passionate U.S. brands. Many products are local and some are refillable, to cut back on the immense plastic waste created by beauty products today. Read about our strict ingredient safety platform here. Follain exists so that you no longer have to sacrifice your health or values for beauty! We opened our first store in Boston’s South End, in July 2013, and now have four locations: South End, Beacon Hill, Nantucket, and Union Market (Washington, DC).
Tara Foley is the founder of Follain, and Amy Murphy is the director of Follain’s Beacon Hill store. Shocked by the unsafe ingredients in U.S. beauty products, Tara launched Follain after years researching safe and sustainable skincare, and receiving her MBA from Babson. Before joining the Follain team, Amy worked in operations, management, and training for many national and international retail companies. Together, Tara and Amy are passionate about educating Beacon Hill women about the importance and benefits of feeding your skin safe, clean ingredients!
Visit us at 65 Charles Street, or online at http://www.shopfollain.com
Victoria Glazomitsky
Executive Director, Nichols House Museum
In May, 2015 Victoria Glazomitsky became the Executive Director of the Nichols House Museum. In addition to preserving and interpreting the museum and its collection, developing programming and overseeing daily operations, Victoria also sets the vision for the museum. In concert with her Board and staff, she is redefining what it means to be an historic house museum in the 21st century, and how the ethos of investigative thought, equality and creativity, of the museum’s founder and last resident, Rose Standish Nichols, applies to contemporary life. Previously, Victoria was the Special Projects Manager for the CEO at the Peabody Essex Museum, where she worked on organization-wide projects that did not neatly fit into any one department, including PEM’s recently announced building expansion, organizational strategies, and programmatic initiatives. She has previously worked at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, as well as the industries of fashion and health insurance. She has completed the Getty Museum Leadership Program for the Next Generation of Museum Leaders and has a degree in Art History and International Management from UMass, Boston. Originally from Russia, Victoria lives in East Boston with her fiancé.
Susan Symonds
Infinity Portrait Design
Infinity Portrait Design is a boutique portrait studio located in one of the beautiful brownstones on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill since 2005 offering a full line of newborn, children, family and executive portraiture.
Congratulations on your 10 year Anniversary on the Hill!
Susan is offering photography services before the September and October Forums for professional use and the Membership Directory.
Email her to reserve your spot: susan@infinityportraitdesign.com
Ali Ringenburg
Ali Ringenburg has a strong commitment to the tradition of representational work and the artistic profession. Prior to opening Sloane Merrill Gallery in 2012, she worked with Nashville-based interdisciplinary artist Adrienne Outlaw, at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, and was Director at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. The daughter of two teachers, Ali spent her summers visiting museums, historic sites, and natural parks both in the States and abroad — contributing to her love of the arts. Ali holds a BA in Art & Art History and English Literature from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sara Demeter
Art Resource Collaborative for Kids, (ARCK) 501(c)(3) nonprofit was born/founded by Sara Mraish Demeter’s art studio in Beacon Hill. She founded ARCK 3 years ago in response to the lack of arts education at her son’s Boston Public School when he started kindergarten. After spearheading a schoolwide program of art lessons and a spring art exhibition at the school, She founded Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) to provide high quality arts education opportunities to underserved students in schools across Boston.
ARCK trains highly qualified teaching artists and brings them into school classrooms along with volunteer mentors. ARCK’s lesson plans are aligned with Common Core and national visual art standards, and closely tied to what the kids are learning in their academic subjects. They take a unique approach, working side-by-side with teachers and including a multicultural, community perspective in art education. ARCK’s core values are leadership roles, social justice, and civic engagement.
Click here for more information.
PRESSED
Ashley Gleeson
PRESSED a new Boston brand, born in Beacon Hill, was developed to cater to those with fast paced lifestyles still seeking high quality, healthy menu choices on the go. The menu includes a line of cold-pressed juices concentrated on critical essential elements and phytochemicals, superfood shakes designed around mood, a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu of various plant based entrees, as well as house made paletas (gourmet popsicles) in fun and unique flavors. All of their items are made in house from the best and healthy ingredients around to make sure you are feeling your best on any given day.
PRESSED’s founders, Ashley and Dave, all too often would hear locals with busy lives not unlick their own complain ‘there are too few choices for healthy food on-the-go’ or that high quality ingredients or novel and creative menus rarely accompanied food on-the-go. With a combined background in hospitality management and medicine they developed the brand for the people of Boston, recognizing that those with busy lives also deserve to eat from a creative, healthy menu.
PRESSED is located at 120 Charles St. serving the neighborhood 7 days a week.
Green Room Boston
Jessica Thornton
The Green Room is a concierge hair studio, providing hair services in a private, relaxed setting with a single chair and a singular stylist. The hallmarks of a Green Room experience are meticulous attention to detail, the utmost in discretion and above all – fun.
Jessica is committed to creating hair that that fits seamlessly into daily life through collaboration with my client. Looking at pictures together and talking about goals creates space for me to refine the overall look and feel that we want to accomplish and explain what the options are. Every appointment is an opportunity to create something fresh and seasonally nuanced.
The Green Room is located at 49 River Street in Beacon Hill. For additional information, please visit: http://www.greenroomboston.com/
Fastachi
Susan Etyemezian, Co-Owner
Susan Etyemezian is Co-Owner of Fastachi, a local artisanal food manufacturing and retail company that specializes in artisanal nuts, nut butters, hand-dipped chocolates, and gifts. Susan is a graduate of Parson School of Design with a background in Fashion Marketing. But her passion for food took over shortly after she married, and Susan joined her husband, Souren, in 1999 to develop and build the Fastachi Brand. From a small storefront in Belmont, MA, where they mastered the craft of nut roasting, they quickly established Fastachi as one of the country’s top purveyors of fresh roasted nuts. They expanded the business to include both Wholesale and E-Commerce Divisions, moved the entire operation, including the small storefront, to Watertown, MA. Fastachi began selling in Boston area Farmers’ Markets. And in 2014, Susan and Souren opened their second and newest retail location in Beacon Hill. With Souren as visionary and Susan as implementer, together they have created the “Fastachi Experience”. An experience which is defined by innovative nut products, combined with creative packaging, uncompromising quality, exceptional customer service, and a warm and inviting atmosphere. They truly are nuts about nuts. But that’s why when you eat any nut, you’ll always judge it by a Fastachi.
Hilary House Interiors
Hilary Hickock, Owner
Hilary Hickok owns and operates Hilary House Interiors, a shop and residential interior design firm which has been located at 86 Chestnut Street for 56 years. Originally started by her mother, Ann Sullivan and grandmother, Hilary House also had a second shop located on Cape Cod in West Brewster for over 20 years.
Hilary grew up on Beacon Hill and is a graduate of Buckingham Browne and Nichols School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst-School of Business. She worked in New York City for ten years in the publishing field, travelled nationally for a trade publication in the advanced manufacturing industry and later worked for Barron’s Magazine Dow Jones and Company. Returning to Boston, she joined Hilary House Interiors and has worked for twenty five years designing and completing numerous projects throughout Boston, the Cape and Islands, Maine, Rhode Island as well as Florida, San Diego and Washington D.C.
Exclusive Jewels
Alissa Eck, Owner
107 Charles Street, Boston, MA
