How 2 Strangers Teamed Up To Save An Old Town Alexandria Business

ALEXANDRIA, VA—After Joanna Szczerban opened Royal Street Barn last November, things were looking up thanks to a busy Christmas season. But when January came around, complications with the lease came up. Her business partner wanted out due to the leasing issue, and the shop was at risk of closing.

Little did she know, Leah Donahue would walk in one February morning and team up with her to save the business.

The women are preparing to reopen the business under the name Boxwood. The store is set to open at 128 South Royal Street on Saturday, April 13, offering decor and gifts with vibrant colors and an eclectic feel.

Donahue had been working in interior design consulting when she went to Royal Street Barn on Feb. 7, seeking a furniture piece for a client. Szczerban told her the business was falling apart, and she needed a new business partner that could share her vision.

The rest is history. Royal Street Barn closed in late February, and the pair got to work on their new store. With Donohue's experience in home editing consulting and Szczerban's success finding items that sell at Royal Street Barn, the puzzle pieces fit. Szczerban told Patch each can manage the store at times that work for them, since she has high school kids and Donahue has younger kids.

"We had the same vision, but we also had unique backgrounds at where we were in life," Donahue told Patch.

The two have stayed busy preparing the store for the April 13 opening. Szczerban said the pair started planning which items their store would carry at a buying show in Atlanta. Their focus was finding "fun products focused on color but not sold in Old Town."

Among the products customers can find at Boxwood are blankets made from recycled water bottles and a lighter that can charge in a USB port. They also partner with local artists to sell items like paintings of the Potomac River by Judy Heiser and home decor made with coffee bags from Misha's. The store will continue to carry items the old Forge Industrial Works store sold like tea towels and candles.

Donahue hopes Boxwood can serve the needs of different customers, from couples downsizing to Old Town townhouses to families with kids.

"I think homes should be as vibrant and colorful as the people that live in them," says Donahue.