Бывшая соцработница открыла в Бостоне бутик обоев, отчисляя 20% прибыли на помощь бездомным

Robin Krawczyk wasn’t exactly ready to retire when she returned to Boston after a short stint away. For months, she half-jokingly floated an idea to family and friends: “What if I open a wallpaper store?” She was expecting someone to talk her out of it. To tell her it was a terrible idea. A former social worker, she was still waiting when she signed a lease for a postage-stamp-sized storefront on Myrtle Street, a quiet lane in Beacon Hill. No one did. In July, Krawczyk opened These Storied Walls, a new curated wallcovering boutique and showroom, that turns her lifelong obsession with color, texture, and pattern into an actual retail business. But after a career of helping people navigate broken systems supporting them through some of life’s most vulnerable moments, Krawczyk didn’t want to simply sell wallpaper. Twenty percent of her profits go to Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, a health care network that provides health care to homeless and formerly homeless individuals and families throughout Greater Boston. She first encountered the organization as a referral resource while working as a social worker at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “I was always in awe of the respectful way that they would treat people,” said Krawczyk, 62. A few years ago, she said, she “would have never” had the confidence to open the store. But after going through a divorce and returning to the city, now was the time to bet on herself. “At my age, I felt, this is the time to take a risk,” she said. Inside the shop are shelves of sample books from dozens of premier and independent wallcovering brands, including local makers like Cambridge-based Sew & Bloom. The books are dense with color and patterns: geometric prints, florals, textured fabrics, and, in some of the higher-end collections, embellishments like sewn-on beads. At the front of the store, she framed samples like artwork, including one featuring two monkeys sipping martinis and out of a bottle of vodka. Another showcases various covers of The New Yorker. Other patterns cover the walls themselves. One emerald-teal design stretches across a wall like a mural, filled with hand-drawn lilacs, orange flowers, and vines that seem to wind endlessly. The idea for the shop, she said, is to let customers experience wallpaper rather than simply scan squares of patterns online. There, customers can feel the texture of the samples, and see their true colors in the sunlight. Next up, she wants to invest some time in finding brands and patterns that can cater to baby nurseries — “There’s a big gap around here, and not a lot to choose from,” she said, adding that she hopes to find patterns or artists to create new lines that focus on Boston-specific images. Krawczyk’s own love affair with wallpaper began after the birth of her first of three children. She wanted her son’s world to be happy and bright, and chose a bold Marimekko geometric print wallcovering “to make his bedroom whimsical and welcoming.” Since then, she’s lived in nine homes, and wallpaper has always been what set the vibe. Now, she’s turned that passion into her life’s second act. “People should just drop by, even if they don’t buy anything,” she said. “Come explore the patterns, and just what’s out there. There’s plenty here to find inspiration.” 17 Myrtle St., Boston, storiedwallsboston.com. This is an installment in Talking Shop, a regular column that covers the retail industry around Greater Boston. Know something I don’t? Send me a tip at [email protected] or by texting 401-400-1595. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.