Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Westcott Thomajan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve often been called a ‘serial entrepreneur’. I love that I’ve found and settled into something that I’m passionate about. Westcott Mercantile is where I hang my hat!
In high school, I began my professional career as the merchandising manager for a local farm market, Hay Day, in Westport, CT that is now owned by Balducci’s NY. At the time, they owned 4 stores. After high school, I owned a catering business for several years before moving to Boston.
I became a wedding coordinator for the first year and a half that I lived in Boston and then decided to return to the food retail that I loved so much and became manager of a retail food establishment in Cambridge with a large catering component.
After marriage, many moves and 3 children I was ready to go back to work. A friend and fellow Belmont mom owned a custom packaging design & import company. I joined as an independent contractor designing custom candy boxes for several local and regional chocolatiers.
When that business was sold a year or so later, that same friend and I did some research to find a business that would allow us to work, use our management and business skills as well as give us the flexibility to be with our children after school. So, together, we bought a vending business! Yes, I did say vending. I owned a vending business, called Vend Divas with over 60 vending machines in the greater Boston area.
After selling the vending business, I was given a cancer diagnosis. While going through treatment, I spent many hours brainstorming new business ideas. I recognized my love and passion lies in retail l. I enjoy the creative aspect as well as the social interaction and having a platform that allows me to fundraise and support my community as well as surrounding communities.
I realized a need for an upscale, old-style general store in my town, where you can find very unique gifts, learn something about the artisans and have fun. In the early 1900’s, general stores called ‘mercantiles’, became the local community gathering place in communities and strived to carry all of the items that neighbors might need. This was where my idea for Westcott Mercantile stemmed. Westcott Mercantile, ‘Goods and Good Company’, is a place where local and regional artisans can showcase their new wares alongside reclaimed and recycled retro and vintage goods.
Established in 2013, Westcott Mercantile opened it’s doors in Cushing Square in April 2014 as Belmont Massachusetts’ flagship modern general store. In 2016, I opened the second location for Westcott Mercantile in Belmont Center.
Westcott Mercantile is simply… Goods & Good Company.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning a business is never a smooth road. Patience is one of the most important assets to bring to a business. I joke that I am always putting out fires, most not of my own making, and that it takes common sense and endless patience to be able to put out the fires and continue to manage all the day to day details. You have to be prepared to work 24/7 if necessary to ensure that you are doing something you are passionate about.
I also have the most amazing right-hand woman. It is vitally important to hire like-minded individuals. My manager and I worked together in the past, so we knew what to expect from each other on many levels. 5 years in, I still don’t call what I do ‘work’. I love coming into the stores, they make me happy and the customers make me even happier.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Westcott Mercantile–Goods & Good Company – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am most proud of the community feel that I have created in my stores. My customers walk in and instantly feel at ease, as though they have stepped back in time. I have old TVs that act as displays and the vintage finds and classic Doris Day sounds to create an old-school sensibility. The Goods and Good Company tagline has served us well.
I’ve been lucky to have an amazing staff who love retail and are very personable. You will never walk in and not be greeted. I have over 5,000 SKUs in a house so often times we help our customers curate the perfect gift or gift basket.
You tell us a little about the recipient and we will walk you through some options, package everything up beautifully at no charge. Our gift baskets are our most popular items. Either curated by us or you. I had a customer call up from Lexington. She had never been to the store but needed a ‘pick me up’ basket for a 16-year-old girl in Belmont. I laid all sorts of items down, photographed and sent them to her and she chose all the items, I put the basket together and delivered it that afternoon. She was thrilled.
After opening the business, I saw the need for an organized business association in the Cushing Square. So, my manager and I knocked on business doors and asked if other businesses would like to work together to help each other succeed and to promote community through events in our neighborhood. The Cushing Square Merchants Association was born.
The CSMA now has 4 community events a year and fundraises for our largest annual event, our Fall Fest. We close the street, have rides, food, crafts, reptile shows, face painting, balloon sculpture and so much more. Cushing Square is a small but vibrant and interesting shopping destination with over 30 unique businesses and more than 14 are owned by women!
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Doing research is vitally important. I think that part of this research includes speaking to like-minded business owners. That is one of the reasons I started the business association in Cushing Square. It is a way for businesses to have a platform to reach out to each other, ask questions and to a network.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2 locations:
438 Common Street Belmont, MA is the flagship store and 63 Leonard Street Belmont, MA is the second location - Website: www.westcottmercantile.com
- Phone: 617-489-2390 and 617-484-0093
- Email: mary@westcottmercantile.com
- Instagram: #westcottmercantile
- Facebook: @westcottmercantile
- Twitter: westcottmerc
Image Credit:
Westcott Mercantile LLC
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