Red Wagon is leaving its home of the past 20 years at 69 Charles St. on Dec. 23 and relocating to Belmont Center, but the owner of the longstanding purveyor of children’s clothing said emphatically that the move is meant to only be only a temporary respite from Beacon Hill, and that they have every intention or returning to Charles Street again soon.
“We consider this a pause from Charles Street,” Suzy O’Brien said. “We’re kind of waiting out the winter and the pandemic, and then our plan is to be back on Charles Street.”
In 1997, Red Wagon opened in Charlestown, where the business remained for its first year before relocating to 49 Charles St. (now home to the Margaret O’Leary clothing store) and then finally settling into its current location in 2000.
“I love the space – it’s right in the center of Charles Street, and has great visibility, but it’s a big space, and we’re paying a lot of rent,” O’Brien said of the current space. “Basically, the numbers don’t add up.”
Red Wagon will open at 68 Leonard St. in Belmont Square in early 2021, and at 700 square feet, the space will be significantly smaller than its current home.
“We were looking for more of a showroom studio that didn’t have to be a retail store, but this one can be both,” O’Brien said. “We’ll also have in-store hours there, but not every day.”
Instead, the business is now focusing on expanding its online presence, she said, as well curating one-of-a-kind gift bundles, such as the “Welcome Wagon” – a customized gift basket that comes in a preassembled Radio Flyer wagon.
“Parents can’t get out as easily and it’s just as easy to shop online,” O’Brien said. “We’ll be concentrating more on unique gifts, but we’ll still be carrying clothing, like sweaters, and the gifts we have now.”
Visit the Red Wagon at www.theredwagon.com to learn more.