LUDLOW, Vt. – Cassie Laurent grew up around women’s fashion. The new owner of 3 Graces on Main Street in Ludlow was raised in her mother Laura’s clothing store on Cape Cod, usually with an electronic tag placed in her pocket to alert grown ups if she tried to wander out of the shop, and then later on as a true helper.
Now, at 25, her dream of opening her own store has become a reality, this time with her mom as her helper, as she launches her new business and what looks to be a promising career.
The concept of 3 Graces can be summed up by the pair themselves: a wonderful place where mothers and daughters can each find the perfect piece, be it clothing, jewelry, shoes, or accessories.
“I think it’s a really good mix because my demographic and my mom’s demographic definitely have somewhere they meet in the middle, but we also are looking for stuff that fits our own age groups. It’s the mom and daughter niche that we’re going for,” Cassie said.
The “3 Graces” name comes from the family names of Cassie’s grandmother, her own middle name, and the name of her cousin. Three Graces also has roots in Greek mythology symbolizing charm, creativity, and joy, which serve as the store’s tagline. Cassie herself embodies the creativity aspect, designing the logo as well as establishing the aesthetic in the shop.
The store carries some well-known trendy and quality brands like Free People, Liverpool, Avalin, Sage, Joe’s Jeans, Sam Edelman jeans, and Commando intimates in sizes from zero to 16. They are also adding handbags, jewelry, scarves, and loungewear to their clothing, intimates, shoes, and boots. Eventually, they even plan to add home furnishings to fill a third room in the store.
So far business has been good with a lot of excitement and energy from customers. “Everybody’s so happy we’re here,” Cassie said.
The plan is to open another store in Provincetown, Mass., next summer and then Cassie will spend summers there and the winter months at the Ludlow store, though Ludlow will continue year-round. For now, with mom Laura’s input with the mother side of buying, and a little bit of store help, her boutique dream is off to a great start.
3 Graces is located at 122 Main Street in Ludlow. You can follow them on Instagram at @3gracesboutique.