Madison Ave. in Melrose, MA
Madison Ave. is a local boutique consignment shop in Melrose, Massachusetts. Madison Ave. is located on Main Street, which is the major commercial street in the small city of Melrose. Melrose, which is home to primarily white, middle to upper class residents, is a suburban city located roughly ten minutes north of Boston. The city’s demographics are similar to the demographics seen at Madison Ave. on an average day.
Joanne Cotton, the store’s owner, opened Madison Ave. in April 2011, and has experienced booming business ever since. Joanne sells high end clothing at great discounted prices. She follows a reuse, recycle, and revamp method at her fashion-forward consignment boutique. Joanne is a lifelong resident of Melrose, Massachusetts, who lives with her husband and four children right around the corner in my neighborhood.
Madison Ave. is next to a Whitemore Hardware store, a Starbucks, and underneath a local karate studio. The majority of the downtown area is local shops owned by Melrose residents. However, there are several chain stores and restaurants, like C.V.S., Starbucks, Bruegger’s Bagels, that have been in business for as long as I (also a lifelong resident of Melrose) can remember.
Melrose has not experienced much gentrification over the past decade, as its infrastructure and commercial streets have remained dominated by local businesses.
Abby Siebert ’16
