Four Young Women Successfully Launch Grace + Gather Storefront Amid COVID-19

“[We] decided that we were going to start an online clothing boutique because there was no mall within like a three hundred-mile radius,” co-founder of Covington & Co. Clothing Asia Raasio laughs. “So, it kind of started off with a little bit of a self-motivated purpose…”

I’m laughing too, because unlike Raasio who grew up out east, I’ve lived in this small Midwestern town my entire life and I experienced the lack of retail first-hand, enduring two-hour long car rides for our back-to-school shopping trips. 

“Once we realized it was such a mutual need for so many other people in our community, that really got us excited about it and we started doing pop-up shops in our area,” Raasio explains.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon and we’re less than five miles apart –I’m sitting at my mom’s dining room table and she’s at the store downtown–but due to social distancing measures, we’ve decided to talk over Zoom. 

Covington & Co. Clothing, founded back in 2017 by Raasio and her sister-in-law Kayla Seppala, is based out of Houghton, Michigan –a tiny town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Around the same time, Harbor and Pine, a home-goods brand started by Bryana Palosaari and Kendra Hulkonen, was taking off in their online sales. The two ecommerce stores came together in the interest of combining their businesses for a physical storefront. The construction for their joint venture, Grace and Gather began early in February 2020.

The idea for a storefront came about last October during a business trip when the four women attended a female entrepreneurship conference in Chicago. 

“We left feeling really inspired and focused on getting our dreams,” Raasio remembers. “We realized that we both shared a dream of opening a storefront within the next year. And it was like, we are all good friends and somehow this didn't come out before?”

The meaning behind the name Grace and Gather emerged from their desire to create an authentic space for people to gather in. While the two brands focus on cultivating a beautiful wardrobe and a cozy home, they hope to expand to hosting larger events in the future that encompass more than just clothing and home goods. Already, they’ve held several pop up shops featuring local artists with handmade jewelry to essential oils and plant-based cleaning supplies.

Although Covington and Co. has shipped to nearly every state, they have a large fan base with their Upper Peninsula community. Both Harbor and Pine and Covington & Co. were familiar with the Houghton County area, having done frequent pop-up shops around the region and after countless brainstorming sessions, the four businesswomen decided to launch Grace and Gather in downtown Houghton. 

“Obviously, we had to come up with something new that really fit both of our brands, so we were brainstorming what do we want this space to be about?” Raasio said. “One big thing that resonated with us was growing with grace.”

Due to COVID-19 complications and changing COVID-19 restrictions, Grace and Gather’s opening date was pushed from early April to late May.

“I feel like the biggest part was just being flexible and just being patient and letting the plan roll out,” Raasio said. “Being okay with the roadblocks in the way. Looking at everything that comes your way with a perspective that it's happening for you and not against you.”

While the pandemic delayed store plans, the brands maintained their online sales. According to Raasio, they felt lucky to have an established online market. Having spent the last three years fulfilling shipments and business requests from their homes, the stay-at-home orders were a bit easier to navigate.

“We were definitely very fortunate to be in the position we were in,” Raasio reflects. “The way that our business plans were at the time the pandemic it, it was a lot easier for us being established online and already knowing that realm very well. We were like, okay, this is our ball game, we know how to do this. And it was just postponing other dreams until we could open up the storefront.”

Now, the storefront has been open for two months. Raasio credits her team’s positive attitude and the community’s support for their successful opening. In this time of uncertainty, she says it’s nice to know that you’re not alone.

“Give yourself rest. Know that you are not the only one going through this. I would also say, you can overcome any obstacle,” Raasio advises. “...I just feel like always being creative with opportunities is key.”

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