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Help Save a Family-Owned Boutique!
Donation protected
Hello! Please help save a small, women-owned, family-owned shop.
My mother and I own a small boutique in Belmont, Massachusetts. We sell women and children's clothing, shoes, accessories, gifts, and home decor.
We opened up on December 5th, 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. Yet despite that, business was pretty good for a while.
However, these past few months have been extremely difficult. In August and September business was really slow for us. October was okay, but not great. Fewer sales meant less income. Slowly, we began to fall behind on our rent.
Then, due to the pandemic, many of our shipments for this holiday season didn't arrive. Some of them did, but it was just a fraction of what was supposed to. Without as much new merchandise, shoppers weren't buying as much. So, we fell even more behind on our rent.
We still owe rent for the months of September, October, November, and December. And we have until December 31st to pay in full or we risk having to close our store. We're trying so hard to earn the money ourselves. We've had sales, opened earlier and stayed open later, did a giveaway, upped our social media presence, participated in town events, and sent out emails and coupons to our customers. But it hasn't been enough. And unfortunately, we don't qualify for the SBA loans.
My mom and I have put our love and soul into our store. We've painted it ourselves, put together every piece of furniture, picked out every single item of merchandise. We've built a relationship with each and every one of our customers. They've become our friends and we've become a part of the community. We would be devastated if we had to close down. Please, help us. Any amount of donation is greatly appreciated. If you live in Massachusetts, please consider shopping with us this holiday season. We're located at 68 Leonard Street in Belmont. Or if you could just spread the word about our store! Anything helps.
Some more background on my mom and I, if you want it. My mom is an immigrant, she was born and raised in Brazil. But she's lived here in the USA over 30 years now. She worked in retail for years before deciding to open her own store.
I'm her daughter. I graduated college in December 2019, right before the pandemic hit. After struggling to find a job, I decided to help my mom make her dream come true instead. Together, we opened up the boutique.
So, we are a family owned, women-owned, Jewish owned small business.
Please help us keep our dream alive with a donation. Or by shopping with us for you holiday gifts this year! Thank you so much.
Organizer
Neusa Piske Perlmutter
Organizer
Belmont, MA