WOMEN OF INSPIRATION: LOCAL LEADERS
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER instagram.com/ theshop.aroundthecorner
“I get to learn first hand what my customers are looking for, what’s working and what’s not.”
A strong eye for design is in Julia Keenan’s blood. Her mother, Janis Monachina, managed the Stockbridge gift shop The Pink Kitty for many years, and a charmingly decorated bed & breakfast called Crabtree Cottage for nearly two decades after that. When Janis came to Julia with a pitch to open a joint venture, the upscale boutique The Shop Around The Corner, she knew it was time to come home and let the Berkshires inspire the next chapter in her artistic career. What was the journey that led to the two of you opening this shop? When my mother managed The Pink Kitty years ago, that inspired a dream of her own to open a store. She then ran Crabtree Cottage out of our home for 19 years. She and my dad did extensive renovations on the house and she handled all of the decorating. She has an amazing eye and ended up doing freelance
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home-styling and garden design in addition to running the bed & breakfast. I lived in California for a few years after college, and any time I was thinking of moving home, she would tempt me with the offer of running a shop together. I studied fine art in college with a concentration in ceramics. While living in California, I worked as Director of Operations at Madison
Gallery, a Top 500 art gallery in San Diego. When I moved home, I worked as an artist assistant for renowned sculptor (& my favorite artist!) Francesca DiMattio. I love making art, but finding the time is always difficult. My mom has always been so supportive of my creative endeavors, and working together is no exception to that. I feel so lucky to be able to work in the store itself, and have creative freedom when it comes to merchandising, buying, decorating, etc., and to have the opportunity to create ceramics to sell at the store. It’s such a valuable and rare position that I’m in. I get to learn first hand what my customers are looking for, what’s working and what’s not.
SPONSORED CONTENT THE B • Winter 2023
What do you enjoy most about what you do for a living? I think the shop has given us both the chance to explore our passions and talents in a multitude of exciting ways. Plus, it’s really an amazing thing to work with family. My dad is a carpenter and does a lot of behind the scenes work at the store, my aunt has been with us from the beginning, and my cousin just moved back from Colorado to join our team. It’s such a privilege to work alongside these people I love, and it truly doesn’t feel like “work”, it feels like hanging out with friends and family. We’re so beyond lucky to be located at The Red Lion Inn and have such an amazing clientele. We meet people from all over. Splitting time between working in the shop and working in my studio has also been really beneficial for my own creative process. Creating in my studio by myself all the time, things can start to feel stagnant, so having more than one creative outlet by way of the shop feels energizing and inspiring. What advice would you give to any woman who hopes to be successful in your field? Don’t be paralyzed by perfection. My mom and I are both perfectionists, and she’s better than I am at the whole idea of “done is better than perfect.” Take the step before you’re ready, try and fail and try again, and again, put yourself out there even when you don’t feel qualified—that’s where the magic happens.
PH OTOS: STEP HANIE ZOLLSHAN
Julia Keenan
