At only 200 square feet, Newton Centre shop Dear Duchess gives new meaning to the saying, “Good things come in small packages.”
“It can get tight with five people shopping … [but] it’s kind of fun,” said owner Rachel Sciaba. The Union Street clothing and accessories store recently opened at 49 Union Street in Newton Centre, in the former home of The Silver Woman, which sold jewelry.
Happy to have her new location, this Westwood resident is not a first-time shopkeeper in Newton Centre: For five years she owned a Union Street business named Duchess, which she sold in 2014. After working in wholesale, she reflected on her next career move and decided she wanted to own her own shop in the city again.
Sciaba said she aimed to return to Newton since she had previously built up a loyal customer base here.
“I already have an understanding of what my customers in Newton like to wear,” she said. “Newton Centre and I just mesh really well.”
Each article of clothing and accessory is carefully chosen and displayed, since space is at a premium. In fact, merchandise is shipped to her home rather than to the store.
“I am schlepping stuff every single day,” she laughed. “It’s a labor of love.”
Sciaba said independent businesses are “critical” for city centers since they know what their clients like and need.
“We bring a lot of character … [and] life to a community,” she said. “We care about our customers.”
Small stores and restaurants that help make vibrant village centers depend on customers to make the choice to buy from them, rather than from big-box or online retailers.
“People have to keep it in their minds,” said Sciaba. “We are relying on our customers to make that decision … more and more.”