I’m excited to bring you this episode with Greer Goodman, owner, and founder of Abroad Modern in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Greer used to manage a sweet little children’s shop called Magpie Kids and I met her whilst shopping for baby stuff.  Back then Greer was thinking about starting a very different business than the one she ended up opening (you’ll hear all about this in today’s episode), and she impressed me with her creative yet clear vision for her future business. 

A couple of years later, I realized that Greer had, in fact, opened a shop, but a very different concept from the one she had shared with me way back when.  I knew there was a good story here, so I reached out for an interview. 

And it is a great story! Greer shares how she found her true brick and mortar calling while on a trip to India. We talk about friendship, values and the importance of cultural exchange.  We talk about sourcing, inventory planning and Greer’s unique talent for being able to merchandise her store in her head. 

Greer shares her fear that the mundane parts of brick and mortar business ownership will burn her out, zap her creativity and hurt the longevity of her business.  I think a lot of us can relate to this.  How many times have you had a free day or a slower week ahead of you and promised yourself that you were going to tackle a big, yet unexciting project only to find yourself on the other end having done nothing but busy work and Instagram scrolling.  You may have just experienced this real pain-in-the-ass component of business ownership during the retail hell we call January. I know that I had a lot of expectations set around how much I would get done after the holidays; I swore 2020 would be different and that I would tackle everything with a clear mind and a real zest for the mundane.  I did…okay.  Because it’s hard to feel motivated around things the bore us or even that overwhelm us.  Greer and I flesh this out a bit and encourage each other to just keep tackling the boring/hard/scary stuff as a way to get back to what lights us up.

At its core, Greer’s business is beautiful and genuine. Abroad Modern is a values-driven model that doesn’t pat itself on the back.  Greer is doing great things that mean something. This interview is of value and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.