Three more businesses to love at Bow Market
[Somerville, MA, November 4, 2024]
Three new small businesses have opened at Bow Market this fall. KEEPER, a new permanent business, and Bigelow Lane, a three month popup, have opened on the second floor and Petra is now open on the courtyard level. Says Bow Market co-owner, Zach Baum,"These are incredible businesses and, more importantly, incredible business leaders joining the Bow Market and Union Square business community.'‘
All three businesses have previously popped up at Bow Market in the past: KEEPER co-owner Amelia Fitch popped up at a Curated Vintage Market, Bigelow Lane was a part of 2023's Small Business Saturdau, and Petra was previously a part of Nibble Kitchen, a food incubator supporting food entrepreneurs from marginalized communities run by the Somerville Arts Council.
KEEPER is the union of two chainstitch embroidery artists Amelia Fitch and Sam Lee, who use vintage embroidery machines to embellish garments and accessories into one of a kind pieces of everyday, wearable art. From a simple monogram on your favorite shirt, to a fully adorned suit or jacket, KEEPER can bring your idea to life and create something you'll want to hold on to. Chainstitch embroidery differs from modern methods in that the machine operator continuously rotates a small knob under the machine to free-motion "draw" the design onto the piece. Visit KEEPER to see this old school art form in practice, grab a personalized gift for a loved one, or inquire about a custom project.
Petra is a Jordanian eatery owned and operated by Abdullah Sour. Started at Nibble Kitchen in 2022 and developed their ready to eat sauces at Commonwealth Kitchen in Boston. Petra returns to Bow Market as part of their year long food popup program that was most recently home to Southern Pines Diner Car. Petra serves a wide range of traditional and personal favorites from Jordan including grilled chicken with toum, falafel, and lamb chops.
Two moms, born and raised in Cambridge, have teamed up to tackle fast fashion.
Bigelow Lane, a children's clothing store, will be at Bow Market in Somerville, MA from November 1st through January 26, 2025.
Bigelow Lane was founded by two moms and lifelong friends, Emmanuelle and Alex, who both recently moved back to their childhood homes on Bigelow Street in Cambridge, MA. Bigelow Lane was born out of their personal experiences of raising kids, and feeling disappointed by the lack of sustainable children's clothing options in the US. By having strict standards of quality and responsible production, Bigelow Lane seeks to be a go-to marketplace for kidswear made out of natural fabrics and without the use of harmful chemicals (PFAs/PFCs. AZO dyes, phthalates, formaldehyde, and pesticides, to name a few).
In line with an overall commitment to selling kids clothes that promotes sustainability and manufacturing ethics, with a focus on raw materials, Bigelow Lane launched with an expansive line of clothing made of wool. US consumers are largely unaware of wool's seemingly supernatural ability to be warm and cozy when you want it to be; light and breathable when you need it to be, naturally regenerating, hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and UV protective. In 2024, they designed their own line of high-quality EUROPEAN FLAX® and OEKO-TEX® certified linen clothes, a fitting successor, given its similarly impressive natural properties.
Bigelow Lane offers a wide range of clothing for children ages 0-8 years, including the cutest sweaters and cardigans, base layers for winter, tees and tanks for summer, cozy sleep sacks, outerwear, winter accessories, and lots more. Equal parts practical, ethical and beautiful. Bigelow Lane clothes feel wonderful to wear while playing and exploring, will traverse seasons, and be passed on from child to child. At Bow Market, Bigelow Lane will join a community of similarly-minded small-scale, independent businesses less concerned with mainstream trends and more so in providing truly authentic and principled retail and culinary experiences.
To learn more please contact Alex at: alex@bigelowlane.com
Facts that motivate Bigelow Lane
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt.
Each time an article of synthetic clothing is washed, it sheds hundreds of thousands to more than a million tiny plastic fibers into wastewater and further, impacting environmental and human health
It takes more than 200 years for polyester to break down. Wool naturally decomposes in soil in a matter of months; Linen takes only a couple weeks. At the same time, both materials make for incredibly durable clothes.
Although clean skincare and makeup products are rising in popularity, there isn't enough being said about what chemicals are involved in the production of the clothing that hugs our kids skin all day, every day.