Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 10, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 11 W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P F O C U S candles, and home decor options. Curating the shop's products is fairly effortless for Orlando and Atchue, they said. ey travel to events like the Tuc- son Gem and Mineral Show in Arizona to buy pieces in bulk, in addition to buying online from trusted vendors. Plants get delivered to the shop weekly. "We just really go off of our eye … what we like and we hope that other people will like, but we've really just followed our gut with selecting things that speak to us," said Orlando. Neither are fans of bright hues, though they painstakingly incorporate some brighter pieces for their color-in- clined customers. But usually, Orlando and Atchue go with what draws their attention, and it all amalgamates to create the Seed to Stem experience. "I'd say the pieces kind of speak for themselves," said Orlando. ey build off of one product that inspires them and design the display around that focal piece. e shop receives a continuous flow of products, so displays are constantly evolving. eir new shop is smaller than their Worcester location: 1,800 square feet vs. the flagship's 4,500 square feet. Orlando and Atchue have utilized shelving, working upward instead of outward to create a cohesive aesthetic. e new space is a refined collection of their most tried-and-true products. "You would recognize that it was us," said Orlando. Strategizing growth Size was one of the main factors Seed to Stem's owners prioritized when picking a second location. ey thought the Westborough site would be a Goldilocks fit as they navigated the growing pains of small business expansion. "It's kind of a good incubator for us to really explore running more than one location, with the same team," said Orlando. e shop's three owners and three additional employees have adjusted to operating both locations with no new workers. Workforce is one of the three greatest obstacles small businesses face when they expanding, along with inflation and access to capital, said Karen Chapman, president and CEO of Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce in Westborough. "Everybody loves and wants to run a business, but you still need those three key ingredients to be able to be successful," Chapman said. Companies say finding employees and keeping them is their number one challenge, she said. Staffing was one of the biggest obstacles for Seed to Stem's Worcester neighbor, women's clothing and gi shop e Haberdash, when owner and CEO Amy Chase was looking to expand. "I remember opening our first store for an hour in the morning and then Crompton Place's woman-owned businesses Seed to Stem's flagship location is inside Worcester's Crompton Place building at 138 Green St., which includes five separate businesses owned entirely or partially by women. Shop name Category Owner(s) Bedlam Book Cafe Book shop and cafe Nicole DiCello and Patrick Warner BirchTree Bread Co. Restaurant Alexis Kelleher and Nate Rossi Crompton Collective Antiques/gifts Amy Chase Seed to Stem Plant/home decor/lifestyle Virginia Orlando, Candace Atchue, and Kristian Solfiell The Haberdash Clothing/gifts Amy Chase The White Room Events space Birgit Straehle and Luis Fraire Source: Individual shop websites waiting for staff to get in, and then I would drive to the second store and then drive back to the first store to close it until we could afford to hire staff to work the full day," Chase wrote in an email to WBJ. With a Haberdash location in Worcester, Chase chose to expand to Hudson aer her friends opened a restaurant in the quiet suburban town. "I quickly fell in love with the town and could see Haberdash fitting in perfectly right on Main Street. I waited a few years to find the perfect spot. And the same thing kind of happened with our Worcester location," said Chase. On the other hand, opening e Haberdash's location on Cape Cod required more strategic planning as Chase foresaw the development of the Polar Park baseball stadium affecting her Worcester business. "I knew the construction of the ballpark would hurt my Worcester sales, and I wanted to have a busy summer location to offset those slow times," said Chase. When the Seed to Stem owners were hunting for a second location, they were looking for somewhere not too far away from their Worcester shop, as all three have children. ey were drawn to Westborough because it was a city, yet had a small-town charm, said Orlando. Additionally, they were looking for a town that could use a store like theirs to help build local infrastructure and culture. "Small businesses are kind of the heart of places and make towns vibrant," said Orlando. Situated at the downtown Westborough rotary, Seed to Stem is located at one of the city's highest visibility areas, said Chapman. e shop is adjacent to a large parking lot, another selling point for its owners. Without another store around offering the experience and products that Seed to Stem does, Chapman has nothing but an optimistic outlook for the blooming business. "What Seed to Stem does, there's nothing else like it," she said. Unexpected challenges, bright future ough Orlando and Atchue knew opening a second location was going to be a challenge, there were a few unexpected roadblocks along the way. One of the most unforeseen obstacles came the day aer their lease was signed. e restaurant next door caught fire, burning down the building. e shop was le with soot damage and a ceiling in need of replacement. As a result, the owners delayed its opening, launching the shop in November instead of over the summer. Surprisingly, the fire was not the largest hurdle when it came to launching the second Seed to Stem. Several permit hoops had to be jumped through, in addition to making sure the building was up to code. e site's previous tenants hadn't made updates as they had been in business for more than 30 years. Orlando and Atchue had concerns about a potential decrease in foot traffic at their flagship shop once Westborough launched, but so far that hasn't turned out to be the case. Instead, they said the new location is being well received in the area, with shoppers especially remarking on the location's convenience. "I found the people that are going there now weren't coming here as oen because it was more difficult for them. We've gained back more of our clientele that weren't coming as oen that are now," said Orlando. For those who don't mind the drive, Orlando said some customers hit up both shops in one day. With this initial success fulfilling some of their long-term growth plans, Orlando and Atchue can already visualize continuing their brand to more locations in more states. At the same time, they are not looking to make any hasty moves, they said. "We want to have as many [locations] as we could do without losing the authenticity of the experience," said Orlando. e two would love to open a large- scale shop, a greenhouse with a cafe, food trucks, or all of it. ey're willing, ready, and able. "We've got big, big dreams," said Orlando. Amy Chase, owner and CEO of The Haberdash and Crompton Collective PHOTO | WBJ FILE W

• Cover