67 Salem Street, North End, Boston 617.742.0484 shakethetree@rcn.com

Be your own “boss babe”

Decanter set, christmas gift idea

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Processed with Snapseed.

Be a Boss Babe!

We recently started collaborating with a local photographer, Katie Salerno, who has been doing many of our fashion and styled shoots with local bloggers.  Katie recently left a corporate job to follow her passion  and build her own solo photography business, focusing on family, wedding, and bridal  portraits, as well as fashion shoots.    Starting your business takes a leap of faith and a certain deep knowledge that you are kick ass enough to pull it off.

I am frequently asked how I started Shake, 22 years ago. I had been practicing law, doing civil litigation for three years and then running a women’s criminal justice project for five. On the side, I was painting furniture and small home decor with a friend, selling our work in local shops and through makers markets. I had always been drawn to art and creativity, having studied a bit at the museum school in Boston.  When the project I was running ran out of funding, I hit a roadblock.  I didn’t want to go back to doing litigation, hating the adversarial nature of it, yet I felt compelled to stay in a field that I had chosen and studied for. I found myself applying for jobs that I did not want and the turning point for me was getting a lucrative job offer and declining because I  couldn’t imagine myself continuing in this field.

So, on a random weekday morning, having coffee with a friend, I watched a landlord put a “for rent” sign up in a small shop in Brookline  and I literally walked across the street and rented it for year .  I had been secretly imagining opening up a  shop, but I had never worked in retail and really knew nothing about it. However, in that exact moment I let go of all my fears and just jumped into it headfirst, eyes open.  I am usually not impulsive and I am very risk-aversive with money but honestly I had no doubt that this would work. I called everyone I knew who made cool things and asked if they would give me things on consignment, paying them only when the items sold. I gathered friends and we built shelving, painted and fixed up the place so I was open in about a month.  Since that date in June 1994, I’ve had to move twice and now have a beautiful shop in Boston’s North end, having run a successful business for over two decades all by myself!

If anyone reading this is wondering if they can do it, take a leap of faith and know that you can.

Check out Katie’s website