Independent Businesses Growing and Thriving at 368 Main Street
Four sustainability-focused, woman-owned businesses moved into 368 Main Street last fall. Since then, they have grown into key parts of our community.
Outside 368 Main Street
In 2022, two Melrose moms were in the process of founding their own, sustainability-focused businesses. Elaina Rivais, inspired by her passion for reducing waste and enabling people to repair and reuse things they already own, created Lend and Mend, an object lending library and repair business. And Kara Oberg wanted to create a family-friendly, inclusive bike shop where people could come to get their bikes serviced and go right back to riding - an idea that turned into the Ride Cafe.
Mainly through what Rivais describes as “serendipity” and their shared work with Zero Waste Melrose, they connected with Sara Altukhaim, who had already started her own toy lending business, the Toyary. Soon, the three signed a lease together on Tremont Street, creating the space that would be known as the Loop.
Inside 368 Main Street
The Loop, says Rivais, “accidentally became a wonderful community space,” but it “never fully proved it was a functioning business.” All three women wanted to build businesses, but had little by way of a model for starting a sustainability-focused business, since many organizations with an environmental focus are run as nonprofits. Oberg notes that bike shops often don’t make much money in the first place, and the bike shop owners she spoke with told her that she would have to run her shop on a different model to be successful. However, all three women felt passionate about making their businesses self-sustaining because, as Rivais believes, “the climate movement shouldn’t be carried on the backs of nonprofits” and “there has to be a way to play in capitalism that incentivizes ecology and the environment.”
Oberg, Benotti, and Rivais at the opening of 368 Main Street
Photo from Elaina Rivais
After ten months, the lease for the Loop space ran out, Altukhaim found a new space for the Toyary in Malden, and Rivais and Oberg set out to find a new space for their businesses in Melrose. The pair found office space last fall at 368 Main Street, and connected with the owners of two other woman-owned, sustainability-focused businesses: Johanna Benotti of Glohaus, an interior designer with a passion for estate sales and using upcycled pieces in her work, and Alaia Halo, a nine-year-old skincare product creator who, with help from her mom, creates environmentally friendly products for sensitive skin.
According to Oberg, the move to Main Street has brought more walk-in customers to the businesses, especially with the opening of the new Hannah’s Brewery next door. While the physical space at 368 Main Street serves a different purpose from the Loop, which was more of a community gathering spot, Rivais and Oberg, along with their new partners, have been able to work together in growing their businesses and achieving new goals.
A recent Repair Cafe in Melrose
Photo Credit: Nancy Clover
Since the move, Lend and Mend has expanded their lending library of tools and other objects, which can be rented by anyone who wants to reduce waste and avoid purchasing new tools. Rivais has also developed a model for running Repair Cafes, which are inspired by a global movement based out of Amsterdam, and allow people to bring broken objects of all kinds to community DIY experts to be repaired. She has run several successful Repair Cafes in Melrose and in other communities, and hopes to work with more cities and towns in the future to expand the Repair Cafe model on a larger scale.
The Ride Cafe
Meanwhile, the Ride Cafe has hired more staff to service bikes, and has begun to both rent and sell e-bikes, expanding the range of riding options available to the community. Oberg sees the Ride Cafe not just as a bike shop, but as an important community partner, and she takes part in community events and works extensively with Ped/Bike Melrose and Zero Waste Melrose to make our city “a better place to live, work, and play.” The Ride Cafe will be sponsoring a Kids Bike Fest in June, which Oberg hopes will be a major community event for both experienced bikers and novices. Oberg also intends to develop bike camps in Melrose, giving kids the opportunity to practice their biking skills after school and during the summer.
With the businesses at 368 Main Street growing and becoming more integral parts of our community, as well as the new addition of Hannah’s Brewery next door, this part of Main Street seems poised to become a thriving, active part of our downtown.
Follow Us: