Just back to full strength following COVID shutdowns, Worcester Wares cautiously moves forward
Photo | Brad Kane
Jessica Walsh, owner of Worcester Wares
Worcester Wares, a clothing and merchandise store with items marked by the Worcester name, is cautiously moving forward with small projects, following its coronavirus pandemic closures.
“We're in a good place,” said Owner Jessica Walsh. “But we're still close enough to the pandemic where things could alter where the business goes.”
The business closed its two retail stores in March 2020, operating solely from its online shop. The Kelley Square location re-opened in May 2021, and the DCU Center location started welcoming back customers in May 2022.
With both stores open, Walsh now has space for new ideas.
“We're starting to do more specific neighborhood merchandise,” she said.
Worcester Wares' marketing is moving in a new direction. Specifically, Walsh is employing artists to craft different designs for their products. The goal is to produce a fresh set of items to go on sale in September, following a back-to-school theme. The artists are still in the beginning stages of this project.
“It felt like we were in survival mode for so long. Now, we're in a spot where we can change things up a little bit,” said Walsh.
Worcester Wares has one full-time and two part-time employees, but the business is looking to hire soon. The company will need another part-time worker with the full operation of the two stores. Walsh mentioned she was searching for an individual with experience in social media.
“It'd be really great to get somebody with fresh eyes for our social media to try some crazy new things,” she said.
She wants to reinvent Worcester Ware’s presence on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
Walsh’s long term goals are to continue changing up what is available.
“We're always gonna have T-shirts; we're always gonna have stickers,” she said. “But there's products we've been talking about making for years that we just never produced.”
Lacking the needed capacity, manufacturer, or artist played into Worcester Ware’s inability to create more in the past. But now, items like socks, blankets or pajama pants can easily be added.
In her search for inspiration, Walsh revisited idea notebooks dating back to 2015. They have suggestions for the business written down by customers.
“I still love the city, and I love having my store. I'm so thankful and always humbled by the support Worcester shows me,” said Walsh.
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