The Hive Natick Set For Grand Opening Saturday: What To Expect

NATICK, MA — A new community accelerator is about to celebrate a grand opening in Natick, marking the first of its kind locally.

The Hive Natick is the first community supported shared-space for retail and artisans to display and sell items in MetroWest Boston.

The idea of a community accelerator space was created through the collaboration of small businesses and community organizers in Natick, who were looking to expand the diversity of goods in Natick Center while also supporting pop-up businesses that often can’t afford the start-up costs of having their own retail space, according to a news release.

The goal of The Hive is to "reimagine the process of building a local storefront business by providing a shared retail space with community insight, opportunities, and resources to help merchants create sustainable business models," the release said.

Those involved with the project hope that through educational support, mentorship, and a shared location, multiple small businesses can have a storefront to sell their merchandise and build their businesses.

“As a small business owner, I understand the financial strain and struggle that opening a business can be,” said Jill Hourihan, owner of Metro Pets Natick and founder of The Hive Natick.

“The Hive Natick model was created to support small retailers through the middle step in the process of building your business from creation to brick and mortar. The middle step, or the details and buildup of a business, is often the hardest part, but by pooling resources, networking, and collaborating with the community, we can help each other and build something unique and sustainable. We want to continue to build a stronger business community and give people a wide variety of goods and services to shop small here in Natick.”

The Hive Natick opened with nine women-owned retailers. Each of these businesses has signed a three-month to a-year lease in this space.

The first businesses in The Hive Natick are Van Claus Designs, Me & T/Even Better Now, The Prickly Pair, Hedge & Heather, Bloom & Grow Creative, Vivilicious Treats, Eco Apothecary, Hedgehog Belly Design, and Sassafras Sarah.

“Creating this innovative brick-and-mortar retail space is a win-win for the already established small businesses in downtown Natick and the new retailers trying to expand their reach to consumers,” said Natick Select Board Member Bruce Evans. “Natick is well-known for supporting small businesses, and this is another creative way to diversify ourselves while collaborating with local entrepreneurs. We hope this becomes a repeated model in MetroWest.”

The grand opening for The Hive Natick is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 22 North Main St., Natick.