Over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the three women who own The Studio boutique in Brookline. Sandy Gradman, Marcie Brawer and Ilene Epstein are an amazing entrepreneurial group who have run their women-focused business for 40 years in Coolidge Corner. Here’s a snippet of a piece I wrote about their tenure for BrooklineHub.
For forty years the bright space on the second floor of 233 Harvard Street has housed The Studio boutique. This hasn’t just meant racks of curated, on-trend clothes and ornate display cases showing off dainty accessories. For co-owners Sandy Gradman, Marcie Brawer and Ilene Epstein, community was just as important as clothing. In an era of impersonal, online shopping trends, the three women created a safe, welcoming community of women. The new clothes were just a bonus.
After recently celebrating their 40th anniversary with a party at the Coolidge Corner Theater, the entrepreneurs decided it was time to move on to the next chapter. When The Studio was first launched, it was a makeshift boutique run out of Brawer’s art studio. Since then the three women have taken over an entire floor of the Harvard Street building.
Their square footage and sales records are impressive, but the charitable impact of The Studio has been even more powerful over the years. They have fundraised for and contributed to countless charities including Rosie’s Place and Dana Farber among many others. Their contributions to female empowerment have also left a mark. For three female entrepreneurs to build a women-focused business from the ground up was no easy feat and the 40-year tenure of The Studio illustrates the tenacity, courage and creativity of Gradman, Brawer and Epstein. For every institution, statistic and individual that told them no, they shouted yes.
The Studio is hosting a HUGE sale in celebration of their 40 years and their closing. Stock will be marked down 50-70% which is a coup for those of us that usually can’t swing shopping at upscale boutiques. If you’re local to the Greater Boston area this is an awesome opportunity to stock up on fabulous clothes and support a female-owned business that has been an institution here for decades. Hope to see you there!