November 02, 2022

How Does Your Community Help You?

By Karen Tardrew
How Does Your Community Help You?

Holy cow... it has been three years since we opened our doors on Stoughton’s Main Street. Boy does time fly when you’re having fun. We truly wouldn’t be where we are today without the support and love from the Stoughton community.

It’s insane to think that just months after we opened our doors in November 2019, the pandemic rocked our world and our doors quickly closed. Scared is an understatement for how we felt during this time; not only for our safety but for what was in store for our business. While it was a scary time, it pushed us to think outside the box and showed us just how special the community of Stoughton and our customers truly are.

Thinking back to that time offers an intense sense of gratitude and reignited the importance of community. It was our GG community and the Stoughton community who provided us with the support we needed to not only stay a float, but have our best year in sales to date during a pandemic!

The quote, “when you support small business, you are supporting a dream,” could not resonate more. My dream of opening up a business that brought people together has come true. When I look at my business and where it is today, I truly am speechless. The thought that comes to mind is, “WE did this.”

Not I… we.

Grasshopper Goods is what it is today because of the incredible community surrounding it; the customers we cherish so deeply; and the employees I’m so fortunate to have on my team who are just as passionate about this dream as I am. GG wouldn’t be what it is today without our community.

And so, in honor of our 2nd anniversary in Stoughton, we wanted to re-share the story of how Grasshopper Goods began calling Stoughton home. A story dear to our hearts that exudes community love.

A Stoughton Story

Over the years, we experimented with many partnerships and collaborations. With the love and excitement that outpoured for the goods we sourced and the brands we worked with, it became clear to us that Grasshopper Goods was its own special place that needed a permanent home. 

Where I go, serendipity seems to follow, and I love the little signs that tell me the universe has my back as I take the leap. After years of operating a mobile-only business, my dear friend and Grasshopper Goods’ Creative Director, Jenn, spotted a hopeful storefront for us in Stoughton when she was in town. A regular at Stoughton’s celebrated Wildwood Cafe and DUNE gift + home, Jenn excitedly told me about the space in Stoughton—a charming, tight-knit community that reflects our values back to us. 

After a lot of soul-searching, I secured that spot on Main Street with some great advice from my mentors on being honest and working out a contract. For years, we longed to open a brick-and-mortar location in a town that embodied community. And we needed to make sure our storefront mirrored the Grasshopper Goods truck’s retro vibe. That spirit of Grasshopper Goods needed to translate from the magic of our mobile boutique into our forever home. And we found all that and more in Stoughton.

And so In 2019, we moved into our address on Main Street, and today, we find ourselves among a beautiful network of small businesses, all cheering each other on.

We have always been about community and belonging first and foremost. And Stoughton is that place, a tight-knit community filled up with love.