What’s In Store this Mother’s Day? Our Mother-Daughter & Mother-Son Boutiques!
Just like our jewelry, all of our retailer partners are truly one-of-a-kind. This Mother’s Day we interviewed six of our family-run retailers. They shared with us their top Dune-picks for Mom, and favorite memories to capture with Dune, and personal experiences of working with a Mother-Daughter and Mother-Son Dynamic. Learn more about our unique retailers and make sure to visit them soon.
1. Be Charmed, Medfield, MA – Matt & Sherry Triest
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Be Charmed – When I was writing the business plan for what then became Be Charmed, my Mom was curious and became involved in helping to select the lines that I would carry. She came to the buying shows and meetings before the store opened. Once the store opened, she was the first to help out. Now she is working 3 days a week at my shop and comes to the buying shows with me.
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom/son?
- Be Charmed – My favorite thing about working with my Mom is the amount of time we get to spend together. We get to go on different buying trips and spend a lot of time at the shop.
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom/son?
- Be Charmed – The most challenging thing is sometimes our opinions differ. Sometimes I see an item and my Mom is not sure about it, and vice versa. For the most part, we are on the same page, but once in a while that happens.
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Be Charmed – I have many years of owning a retail business. This helped a lot when opening and starting Be Charmed. My Mom always has a good eye for product selection. Having her help find new products is a huge help.
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Be Charmed – I will be spending the day with my Mom. We are closed on Sundays, so it will be nice to have a great day with Mom.
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Be Charmed – My favorite memory is starting my summers on Cape Cod in New Seabury/Popponesset at my parents’ summer house. I have spent many summer days on the beach there with my Mom.
- Dune – In your opinion, what is the Top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Be Charmed – My favorite Dune Jewelry item for Mom would be the Delicate Dune collection. The necklace or bracelet is sure to be a favorite for Mom.
Be Charmed, 70 North St, Medfield, MA 02052
2. The Mermaid’s Tale, Amherst, OH – Judy & Stacey Recknagel
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Mermaid’s Tale – Stacey has been working with me since she was about two years old! Whatever I did, she wanted to help, so I let her. She was working as a pharmacy technician when her company was bought out and she lost her job. Not long after, her uncle, who’d built a surprising second career consulting for some of the best bookmakers in UK sports, reminded her how unpredictable life can be, and encouraged her to see this moment as a chance for something new. She called me crying and I responded that it was the best thing ever, as she could now work full time for me. The rest is history!
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- Mermaid’s Tale – I would have to say the most fun is the buying, including the business trips! I think our favorite trip is JCK in Las Vegas! Of course one of the best parts of that trip is going out with Holly, Lauren, and Kate from Dune Jewelry!!
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- Mermaid’s Tale – Leaving the mother/ daughter relationship at the door. We’re usually good at this, but occasionally the relationship rears its head and we butt heads! This is not a common issue but does come up occasionally. The other employees leave us alone until we resolve the issue and all is well!
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Mermaid’s Tale- One of the biggest things that we bring to the table is our very different tastes. Mom has a great eye for choosing new items, what is trending, and what will sell well in our store. I am fortunate that she values my opinions on things and together we have an amazing balance when ordering new items. I bring many years of mistakes lol, so lots of experience. Stacey brings fresh ideas and is tech-savvy! The Mermaid’s Tale has come a long way with her knowledge of technology! I embrace it now, instead of being afraid of it!
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Mermaid’s Tale – Before Covid, for Mother’s Day we had gone to a great little place in Vermillion called Huggies for Mimosas and Bloody Marys. I’m hoping we may be able to do that again. After that, we will probably cook something great for dinner and spend a good portion of the day together!
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Mermaid’s Tale – A favorite memory would have to be our trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was a business trip, but we decided that it couldn’t just be all business, so we stayed a week and made it into a mother-daughter vacation! We had a ball! We each had a piece of Dune Jewelry made with Atlantis sand.
- Dune – In your opinion, what is the Top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Mermaid’s Tale – The Rope Seven Sand Bracelet or the new 10-Sand Bubbles Necklace are both perfect options!! We have been quite blessed and fortunate to have had many trips together as a family, as well as just the two of us by ourselves. I would fill it with sand from all those trips, then all the memories can be in one place!
Mermaid’s Tale, 201 Church St, Amherst, OH 44001
3. Apothecary Gift Shop, Holland, MI – Jen Foley & Sharon Fisher
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Apothecary – Sharon’s parents (Jen’s grandparents), Keith, and Barb Ditch bought Model Drug Store in 1961. Sharon went to pharmacy school and worked as a pharmacist at the family businesses. When Keith and Barb retired in 1999, Sharon bought the business from them. Jen grew up in the business and worked there from a young age. She went to college and received a teaching degree, but ultimately decided she’d like to work long-term in the family business instead. Once Sharon is ready to retire, the plan is for Jen to purchase the business and continue the legacy.
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- Apothecary – We get to see each other every day! We’ve always been close, but being able to work together has brought us even closer.
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- Apothecary – Finding the work/family life balance. It’s easy to talk about work whenever we’re together, but we try to take a step back from the business and enjoy family time when we’re away.
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Apothecary – Since we’re from different generations, we bring perspectives from each. Something that Sharon may look past, Jen will focus on, and vice versa. It helps bring a good variety to our store, making it so our customers, no matter what age, can find something they like here. We’re often surprised how often we think alike. There aren’t too many times we disagree on whether we should buy a product to sell or not.
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Apothecary – We’ll keep our get-together small, with just our immediate family. Hoping the weather here in Michigan is nice enough to enjoy some time outdoors together. The Tulip Time Festival in Holland always falls right around Mother’s Day, so we’ll be working hard the week before, but also enjoying the beautiful tulips around town.
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Apothecary – Where our business is located and where we grew up (Holland, MI) has beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan. We both have many fond memories of growing up and going to the beach. Now we bring our kids/grandkids to the beach. Wearing Dune Jewelry with the Holland sand reminds us of the warm days and nights we’ve spent there.
- Dune – In your opinion, what is the Top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Apothecary – This is a hard question! You truly can’t go wrong, as all of the Dune Jewelry is absolutely beautiful. The Double Wave Necklace is one of our favorite new pieces. We have it with Holland Sand and Lapis, which reminds us of the sand and water at our beaches.
Apothecary Gift Shop, 35 W. 8th St., Holland, MI
4. Gallery 3040, Old Forge, NY – Linda & Paula Weal
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Gallery 3040 – I have supportive parents. When I decided I wanted to own a gallery and then a gallery was available in town they helped financially to make it happen. I was living in Cleveland OH at the time, and so my mother took over a lot of the arrangements until we could close on the store. And then she just stayed on. I think she just liked the customers and the art and the artists and it has been a family affair ever since
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom?
- Gallery 3040 – Speaking the same language in the way that only family members can.
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom?
- Gallery 3040 – I have a bossy mom. And she taught me how to be bossy too, so there can be a lot of: “You are not the boss of me!” going on.
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Gallery 3040 – My mom can handle all the practical stuff; the bills, the payments, and the day-to-day in a way that would bore me to death. Also, she is a real “salesperson” Her customer service is over the top. I am more interested and stronger in the visual parts, the display, the art selection, the vision for each season.
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Gallery 3040 – Probably a good chunk of Mother’s Day will be spent at our gallery! As for festivities, I don’t know yet, but we are both gratefully vaccinated so we will be able to really celebrate Mother’s Day this year!
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Gallery 3040 – One of my favorite memories was taking Linda fishing when she was young. Our Adirondack Lakes and Rivers offer lots of fishing opportunities and it is a family tradition. We took Linda to a secluded lake where we could picnic. She was maybe 4 years old. We were doing great, all excited about catching a trout until…..the worms. She felt bad for them! Suddenly it wasn’t as much fun and “maybe we should go home now”. The Dune piece that I would pick out for this memory would be the Teardrop with our river and lake sand. It reminds me of Linda’s tears for the poor worm!! (By the way, she got over it and loves fishing…well, all except for taking the fish off the hook.)
- Dune – In your opinion, what is the Top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Gallery 3040 – Mothers shed a lot of quiet tears. Tears of pride. Tears of Joy. Tears of relief. Tears of sorrow. So I would pick the Dune Jewelry Boutique Collection Teardrop Necklace and Earrings as a perfect recognition of Moms everywhere.
Gallery 3040, 3040 NY-28, Old Forge, NY 13420
5. Green Boutique, Valrico, FL – Roz & Matt Creager
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Green Boutique – Matt grew up helping in our plant nursery. Throughout the years Matt worked part-time as the nursery evolved into a gift store. After graduating from college, he was given the opportunity to work full-time in the business.
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom/son?
- Green Boutique – We have quality time together. Matt says that his mom is entertained by his spontaneous sense of humor (Roz would describe it differently after a long week at Market together). He says that he enjoys quality time with his mom and learning from the “master”!
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom/son?
- Green Boutique – The most challenging thing about working together is just to remember to communicate when we are both really busy and working on our own projects.
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Green Boutique – Roz has perseverance for finding lines. Roz also takes seriously how the lines are represented in our store and how they are displayed. Matt has an eye for unique items and wants to add the ‘WOW’ factor to help make our store more engaging.
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Green Boutique – Hopefully, I’ll be playing with my 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter.
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Green Boutique – Weeklong vacations at Longboat Key or Anna Maria Island. We also remember the time we walked and missed the turn for our hotel. Several miles, burnt feet, and blisters later, we celebrated with air conditioning and a big dinner.
- Dune – What is your top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Green Boutique –A Full Heart Necklace with turquoise gradient into sand from the very hot Longboat Key.
Green Boutique, 1032 Bloomingdale Ave, Valrico, FL 33596
6. Sterlings, St. John’s, Antigua – Beth & Zoe Abbott
- Dune – How did it come about that you started working together?
- Sterlings – From a young age, Zoe started helping in the store during school vacations and at Christmas. However, when she returned to the island after college, she wanted to work for someone other than her “Parents”. She was offered a job on the other side of the island that included nights and weekends, plus lots of driving! We offered for her to join us full time, with better hours and holidays, and she snatched it up quite happily. She still works with us in the main store, but now also has 2 of her own stores, and has grown by leaps and bounds in the business world.
- Dune – What’s the most fun thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- We really enjoy the travel and trade shows. The time together brings lots of laughs and good together time.
- Dune – What’s the most challenging thing about working with your mom/daughter?
- Conflict of opinions and how to do something.
- Dune – What do you each bring to the table that’s different?
- Sterlings – I bring lots of years of retail experience, and Zoe brings balance and looks at things from outside the box!
- Dune – How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
- Sterlings – Zoe has asked what I want to do, but I am not fussy. I know we will spend it together, which is the most important thing.
- Dune – Favorite memory of a time spent together – ideal for a Dune keepsake?
- Sterlings – There is no one specific time, but our travels together have definitely brought many wonderful memories.
- Dune – In your opinion, what is the Top Dune Pick for Mom?
- Sterlings – The top pick for Mom, in my opinion, is the Mediterranean Toggle Necklace.
Sterlings, Heritage Quay, St. John’s Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda
Looking to shop in-store for one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gifts?
Our local boutiques offer a curated selection of jewelry and elements significant to their regions.
