Meet Diane & Lauren of The Merry Lion in Wakefield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane & Lauren.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. 
“‘It’s impossible,’ said reason.
‘It’s Risky,’ said experience.
‘It’s Pointless,’ said pride.
‘Give it a try,’ whispered the heart.'”

Framed and hanging up behind our counter is this quote which speaks so closely to our hearts.

Our names are Lauren and Diane, and we are a mother/daughter team with two of the best little helpers, Blake (3yrs) and Jaxon (1yr). Opening up a small boutique of our own had always been something we had dreamed of someday doing. We knew that we’d make a great team, one picking up where the other lacked. The timing was perfect and we knew that if we wanted to open up our dream shop, it was now or never.

Between the two of us, we don’t have much experience in retail at all. When we first decided to move forward with the shop, so many times people would ask, “but do you have any experience in this?! What a big risk to be taking!” We may lack experience in a sense, but we are both very creative and hands-on people. Growing up, I (Lauren) had countless outfits that my mom (Diane) had made from scratch. She’d pick out fabric and sew up the most adorable matching outfits for my brother and I. After having children of my own, I started to get into sewing for them. I even opened up my own Etsy shop, selling handmade hair bows. Children’s fashion has always had a place in our lives so to us, it made perfect sense to be opening up a children’s boutique.

Right away we had a very clear vision of what we wanted our boutique to look like. We wanted to bring something a bit different, new, and fresh to town. Raising the kids in Wakefield, we knew that we had to have our future shop here… We just loved the idea of being part of a community and bringing something new and exciting to the town.

So what does The Merry Lion even mean? “‘Merry” is for my mom, she’s a Christmas Eve baby and her middle name is Joyce which means merry. “Lion” is for me, my birthday is July 24th and my astrological sign is Leo.

Has it been a smooth road?
Along this journey, we will continually grow and learn! We’ve taken in some great advice from fellow merchants, and representatives in the industry. It wasn’t something we just jumped into right away. We did extensive research into products, pricing, location and marketing to make our store as successful as possible. When we finally chose our location, we completely renovated the space. Together, we drew up the floorplan and design of The Merry Lion. We had our vision, and we had our family and friends to help us get the store ready for business. Every inch of that space is a reflection of our personalities and we couldn’t be any more proud of what we have achieved thus far. It’s an ongoing journey, but we are lucky enough to have a really strong support system. Our husbands have been extremely supportive from getting our store ready, to being the support at home when needed with Blake and Jaxon. Of course, it’s been a lot of work, but it’s been very rewarding, and enjoyable. Each day we walk into The Merry Lion excited and eager to see what the day will bring!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We would say that we are the “modern mom’s” boutique and gift shop. When shopping in our store you can find a vast range of unique and trendy items for children. We carry some lines that people may be familiar with, but we also try to find new and exciting things to bring into the store. You will find many USA based brands which are owned and operated by moms, just like us! We have plenty of handmade items from surrounding towns as well. Something that sets us even further apart from your typical children’s boutique, is our women’s section. Women can come in and shop for themselves or gift items for their friends. We’d like to think of ourselves as a one-stop-shop!

We really want to get to know our customers and make our store a huge part of the community. The Merry Lion will host a series of events for moms and children. We have some really exciting events planned for the upcoming months that we really think people will enjoy.

What we are most proud of is starting and running a business as a mother/daughter team. We knew this was something that we’ve always wanted to do, and to see it come to fruition is just so amazing!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Wakefield has been an extremely welcoming community. Between our customers and fellow merchants, we have felt an overwhelming outpour of support. I think one of our favorite parts of running the store, would be getting to know all the wonderful people that come into our store! Just in the short time we have been opened, we’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know many of the other business owners in town. We’ve already been making plans to “join forces” with some other local shops in town through hosting events!

Wakefield is a very family oriented the town. From movies on the lake, parades on certain holidays, and every weekend you will be hard pressed to not find an event you can bring your kids to. That being said, it just seemed to make sense to open up our children’s boutique in the town. In the early stages of building The Merry Lion, we would ask people what they thought of our idea for the store, and every time the reaction was, “Yes! That is what we need in town!” Wakefield continues to grow with new restaurants and businesses. Hopefully this trend will continue, making this town even greater than it is now.

Contact Info:

• Address: 253 North Avenue, Wakefield, MA 01880
• Website: shopthemerrylion.com
• Phone: 781-587-0286
• Email: hello@shopthemerrylion.com

       

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