Roots Relocates in Chestnut Hill

Roots has uprooted. Owner Heather Stauffer’s home furnishings and apparel boutique relocated to 8436 Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill in February from its previous location from Germantown Ave.’s 7900 block. Stauffer is preparing to ring in her store’s new home with a grand re-opening in April, although it has been open for business since March 1. Its new location will be matched with more inventory like men’s apparel, in addition to women’s fashion and household items that Stauffer says are unlikely to be found elsewhere in the city. “I try very hard to find designers and vendors that only sell to retail boutiques,” Stauffer says. “I’m not trying to compete with J. Crew or Amazon.” Stauffer says she’s still setting up inventory in time for the April grand opening party, but her store already displays some of the more popular items. Paper mache busts of longhorns and deer hang from the walls. They’re made by the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Stray Dog Designs. Another table is stacked with neon-tinted melamine plates by Thomas Paul printed with shellfish and marine graphics. Several racks of women clothing contains brands like G1 Goods, which Stauffer says will suffice for casual and dressier affairs.  Two things seem to run in Stauffer’s blood – retail and Chestnut Hill. Stauffer grew up in the neighborhood, and ordered inventory for her mother’s clothing store, a long-running women’s boutique also on Germantown Ave. called 2 Susans. Opening her own Roots store in 2009 seemed like a fitting progression, she says.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal