Pop Up Shop in Franklin Gets First Business
By J.D. O’Gara
Greco, who has a background in graphic design had been operating an online shop, grecodesignshop.com, for over five years. She’d headed out on her own after ad agency work, looking to leave the corporate world. Beginning with wall art, the Franklin resident hand-painted and distressed all of her pieces, loving especially working with watercolors. She’d enjoyed a robust word-of-mouth business, especially with her handmade gift items during Covid, and had thoughts of expanding. Meanwhile, her niece, Shannon Lazzaro, who graduated from Salve Regina as a studio art major last May, was doing well with her online fashion shop, bleutral.com. When they heard about the Pop Shop initiative, they were all in.
“This was a great opportunity with the grant that Franklin got, we did our business plan and turned it in,” says Greco.
“I’m excited to have a space,” says Lazzaro.
The shop, with a mix of both businesses, offers home décor options as well as cutting-edge fashion.
Have you been over to Greco Design Company, yet? June 11th marked its status as the first pop-up shop located in downtown Franklin after the towns of Franklin and Wrentham won a $188,000 Regional Pilot Project Grant awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The grant was to fund the temporary placing of online or home businesses into an unused location in the town. The business might attract some shoppers to the area, and the entrepreneur would get a chance to “try out” a storefront for awhile.
Greco, who has a background in graphic design had been operating an online shop, grecodesignshop.com, for over five years. She’d headed out on her own after ad agency work, looking to leave the corporate world. Beginning with wall art, the Franklin resident hand-painted and distressed all of her pieces, loving especially working with watercolors. She’d enjoyed a robust word-of-mouth business, especially with her handmade gift items during Covid, and had thoughts of expanding. Meanwhile, her niece, Shannon Lazzaro, who graduated from Salve Regina as a studio art major last May, was doing well with her online fashion shop, bleutral.com. When they heard about the Pop Shop initiative, they were all in.
“This was a great opportunity with the grant that Franklin got, we did our business plan and turned it in,” says Greco.
“I’m excited to have a space,” says Lazzaro.
The shop, with a mix of both businesses, offers home décor options as well as cutting-edge fashion.
