Shop Monroe Home & Style in Charlestown
July 6, 2022
An editor turned shop owner outfits brownstones with everything from champagne buckets to dust pans.
Text by Erika Ayn Finch   Photography by Joyelle West
When residents furnish their first abode in Charlestownâor any Boston neighborhood, for that matterâthey quickly learn the importance of scale. Follow that mantra with a lesson on living with fewer but better-quality items, and you understand why Monroe Home & Style has become a neighborhood destinationâwith Greater Bostonâs savvy designers vying for parking spots, too.
Thatâs not an easy thing to do when you open your first retail establishment in the middle of a pandemic. Donna Garlough, a former magazine editor and interiors stylist, spent a good part of 2020 gutting what was previously Bunker Hill Relics on Main Street. âI used to walk by this space and say, âThat should be a home store,â â says Garlough, who has lived in Charlestown since 2009. Monroe Home & Style, named after Garloughâs grandfather, opened in December 2020.
As soon as you walk into the 957-square-foot space, Garloughâs SoCal roots become evident in the soft, neutral colors and natural textures. The space is organized like a brownstone, with an entryway leading to a living space featuring accent furniture, small rugs and runners from Turkey, throw pillows, and baskets from Morocco and Tanzania. Design books, including Garloughâs own, Your Home, Your Style: How to Find Your Look & Create Rooms You Love (Rizzoli, 2018), are everywhere.
Make your way past the self-care bar (be sure to poke your head into the luxe powder room) and into the kitchen and âhome-keepingâ space. Thatâs where youâll find everything from the shopâs best-selling coupes to feather dusters, brooms, French beechwood kitchen brushes, and the prettiest fly swatter weâve ever seen.
Garlough, who moved east to study creative writing at Cornell University, says she spent years in publishing and interiors, making notes on her favorite brands in the hope that one day sheâd have her own storefront. Some of those brandsâEvangeline linens, Made Goods, Tatine candlesâstock Monroeâs ĂŠtagères.
Nearly two years after opening, Garlough still has pinch-me moments every day. âWhen I was working in editorial, I was drawn to people who curate and tell stories through things,â says Garlough. âNow I get to be in a place where Iâm making something, remerchandising, every day. Itâs the best job Iâve ever had.â
Monroe Home & Style, Charlestown, Mass., monroeboston.com
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