Gather Goods Co. is a gift shop and coworking space owned by entrepreneur and designer Michelle Smith. Before starting Gather, Michelle came to Cary with seeds of an idea that she was ready to tend to:
“I wanted to build what didn’t exist, but I also wanted to build what you could find in bigger cities. It’s kind of like planting seeds. I’m a seed planter. Sometimes it’s hard to know whether your seeds are going to grow and develop or not, but you just keep sowing them and eventually they do. I’m a very future-thinking person too, and I can just see the pieces at play. I’m glad to have put down roots.”
We got the chance to chat with Michelle about how she got her start, and what Gather Goods Co. means to the local community today.
How did Gather start in Downtown Cary?
I have been a part of Downtown Cary for over 10 years. I first started on Chatham Street, where Chatham Street Wine Market is, in 2014. There was nothing down here at the time. There were no coffee shops, the movie theater wasn’t down here, and the Mayton Inn wasn’t down here. There wasn’t much going on, except for the heartbeat of the community which was Ashworths and Blue Moon Bakery. These places that have been stallworts of the community. I just really fell in love with the community. I was looking for a place where I could walk to things, where I could get to know my neighbors, and I wanted to build something that I didn’t see in the Triangle. So I had been producing makers markets called The Rock & Shop Market for 10 years prior to that, and I really saw a need for a slower space where people could work and take classes. At the time there weren’t classes happening where you could learn from makers. I really wanted to build a platform to help makers succeed, not only just tell their stories but also create a space where people could get together.
We’ve been in our current space in Downtown Cary for just about 6 years now. The space functions as coworking with 7 private offices and a gift shop that’s open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 to 5. Everything is online that I curate. You can also shop by appointment and we offer classes.
Can you talk about your creative background and how it led you to open Gather?
So I went to school for graphic design way back when. I’m a 20-year entrepreneur. I started an event called The Rock & Shop Market in the Triangle. It was the first maker’s market in the Southeast. It had 100 vendors, food trucks, DJs; it was really cool. I did that in 2004 and until 2014. At that point I realized that I really wanted to do more space and place making and really put my roots down in a specific spot. I felt like there was a need for beautiful gift shops carrying local goods, but also just beautiful goods. Most of the products in here are made by emerging makers, but they don’t look like they are crafty and kitschy. They are elevated and high quality, and I really wanted to bring that curated gift experience to Cary. I love Downtown Cary. I live six blocks away and I work here. It’s just a really special community in the middle of the Triangle.
How does Gather fit into the Cary community?
One of the drivers of my business is building what doesn’t exist. I didn’t see a space that was serving my needs, so I wanted to create that space and in the process serve others as well. I think a lot of us, now that people are working remotely, there’s a whole generation that doesn’t get to connect with people the way they did in school. So I try to create spaces and activities where people can just get together casually and learn about one another. That’s been really special, watching friendships and business friendships emerge. It’s an incubator for all sorts of different things and that’s really special. It’s a “third place” where people can spend time in between working and being home. It’s a place where you can meet and gather casually. Even though it’s a beautiful and serene space, it’s very laid back and accessible and that’s something that’s really important to me too. I want people to show up and feel like they can be their authentic selves and not have to be super networky or professional, all the things we feel like we have to do to present ourselves in the world. That’s a big part of Gather.
You can learn more about Gather Goods Co. and shop for products on their website at shop.gathergoodsco.com, and you can follow them on Instagram @gathergoodsco and Facebook at Gather Goods Co.
You can also shop in person at 417 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary, NC 27511