🔒Q&A: Worcester entrepreneur expanding to the Cape

On June 1, Amy Lynn Chase plans to open her latest entrepreneurial venture – the third location of her clothing store Haberdash, this time on Cape Cod in the town of Harwich Port. The expansion marks her first business effort outside of Central Massachusetts, following the handmade collectibles location Crompton Collective and events space The White Room in Worcester, as well as the Haberdash locations in Worcester and Hudson. 

Why are you expanding to the Cape?

A vacation destination location has always been in my plans, even before I expanded out of Worcester to Hudson. I love retail, obviously, and when I go on vacation, I save my money so I can buy quality items at local stores.

Yet, whenever I would go on vacation to the Cape or Maine, I could never find any small shops with local items. And I don’t need more sweatshirts with the names of the towns on them. So, I figured when I go on vacation and want to splurge, other customers want to do the same. Yet, why are there no quality stores in vacation destinations?

Over the years, it has gotten a little better, so other business owners are having those same thoughts.

Why open the new store now?

COVID-19 really made me rethink my business. I had tons of inventory in my Worcester store, but I was thinking, “Is this necessary to fill every single space in my stores with all these items and racks?” I was overflowing with products and displays. I realized I had enough things I could fill a whole other store with.

I said to myself, “Now is the time to make this change. I’ve seen the worst of it through COVID, so now I can do this.”

How will this store be different from the others?

This new store will have something new, as I don’t want to replicate all my stores exactly. The Cape location will have a more sustainable angle, with sustainable fabrics and more products sourced from in the United States.

This is giving me more time in choosing items that are better for the future world. This includes the materials, and the people who own the companies. We do focus on handmade items from small, local companies, but that is very hard in the fashion world. It is a difficult industry to be sustainable, and that is something I think about in my life.

With this new store, I have an opportunity to really bring in that sustainability angle.

Why Harwich Port?

I purchased a home on the Cape last summer. As I kept going out there, I got to know the towns and fell in love with Harwich Port. It has all the things I look for in a store location: walkable downtown, cute storefronts, and the store is even walkable to the beach.

When is the new store opening?

Hopefully, June 1. All the permits and the other little things have to come together. We are waiting on painting and other little construction things.

This is my first tourist destination store, and I feel like it is going to be a completely different way of running it. I thought originally I would only need one employee because the store is so small, but after talking to other business owners on the Cape and hearing how busy they are, I realize I will need more staff.

How will you run a store so far from Worcester?

I hope to be splitting my time between Worcester and Cape Cod. I have some friends down there that can help out if anything major ever comes up.

Hudson was my first store outside of Worcester, and nothing really has ever really come up that is an emergency requiring me to rush out there. Luckily, I’ve had great landlords at all my locations who are very responsive if any major building issues arise.

But the Cape store where I don’t know as many people will probably require more of my attention.

Will you eventually expand to another location?

I never say never. I like to create. That is the job I have. I like a big project and like to see it to fruition. I’m not a day-to-day person.

This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ editor Brad Kane.