Petit Peony Anchors in Duxbury!

Petit Peony from Shem Roose on Vimeo.

Has it been two years already?! It was summer of 2014 when I originally started Petit Peony as a small Etsy shop; so much has changed in such a short period of time. I went from sewing clothes for my daughters in my Vermont country home, to launching a brand, taking on two strategic investment partners, and now Petit Peony has officially anchored in Duxbury, Massachusetts. 

It’s all in thanks to you, my loyal customers, the support from my family and friends, and taking a much needed “break” from the hustle and bustle of city life to spend time with my family in Vermont, that this dream to start a children’s clothing line is now a reality. 

For those of you new to the brand, see our full story here. 2015 was an amazing year - a year of true growth.  So many things have happened since I last wrote. It’s been a whirlwind, but one amazing ride so far.

Building the Brand

Petit Peony left gorgeous Charlotte, Vermont, and now resides in Duxbury, MA.  For my non-New Englanders, Duxbury is an amazingly quaint, coastal town situated between Boston and Cape Cod.  It has everything that Petit Peony needs for inspiration - traditional New England colonials, boats and fishermen, four beautiful changing seasons…and maybe an occasional mermaid sighting?  

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why we would ever leave Vermont?  I’ll be the first to say that I LOVE Vermont.  It was, after all, the birthplace of my son, and Petit Peony. Vermont’s community and values were a huge inspiration to me. It was what allowed me to start this company, and I’ll always keep Vermont close when thinking about what’s next for the brand.  

But, like all things, we must move forward to see growth, and I’m really excited by what this new move means for us.  For one, we have officially opened our first office and store!  Louisa Birkett, of GRAPEVINE Interiors; my interior decorator and new fabulous neighbor here in Duxbury, designed the interior of the store.  She
couldn’t have executed the brand more perfectly!  It looks classic and clean, nautical and fun all in the same breath. Added bonus- our view overlooks Duxbury Harbor!  

Adding to our new location, I’m excited to announce a new member of the Petit Peony Team.  Melissa Maloney has stepped in as our operations manager, and what I like to refer to as my ‘right-hand woman.’ She will be handling all of the day-to-day business, allowing me more time to focus on expanding the brand.

We have recently been featured in Vogue and Glamour UK magazines. Petit Peony was also a participant in Ivanka Trump’s #WomenWhoWork Fall Campaign, a non-political decision centered around helping support her movement to raise awareness around equality for women in the work place. In addition, Petit Peony designed a few patriotic pieces for Ivanka’s daughter, Arabella this fall. This recognition helps sets our brand apart from competitors, gains exposure, and validates the quality and classic styles that we are creating.  

Looking Ahead...

So much excitement in the coming months!  We’ll be launching our boys collection in the spring, as well as a limited women’s collection, making it that much easier to coordinate your family, while being comfortable and still stylish for all of those precious moments that are worthy of your memory books.

We are working on growing Petit Peony globally. Boutiques in Japan have signed on to carry our designs in the spring of 2017.  Additionally, Melissa and I will be headed to a tradeshow in Paris in January, to further promote the designs throughout Europe.  

We are truly on our way.  It is serendipitous that this all started because of my passion and inspiration for my children and my love of creating wholesome childhood moments to cherish forever. I think of those early times, pregnant with my son, sewing dresses and leggings in my attic because I couldn’t find sweet, simple, timeless clothing that captured the magic and innocence of childhood. 

Childhood is a fleeting time in our lives and I want to cherish every moment with my children. It is important to me that my kids, and yours, are comfortable playing while looking adorable. #comfortablyadorable

As always, thank you so much for joining us on this incredible journey! We hope to hear from you soon!