When Charlotte von Meister and Danielle Sturm launched The Nest PVD in 2021, the goal wasn’t simply to open just another clothing store.
New to Rhode Island and emerging from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two transplants were looking for something deeper: community, shared skills and a more sustainable way to think about fashion.
“We weren’t from here and wanted to meet people while learning together,” said von Meister, a New Jersey native.
That idea became The Nest, a Providence-based retail and education space centered on curated secondhand clothing, tailoring and hands-on craft education.
The store sells vintage and high-quality resale apparel, while also offering sewing, knitting and crocheting classes, tailoring services, clothing swaps and small-scale garment repair – all designed to help customers extend the life of their wardrobe.
Sturm, who originally hails from just outside of Chicago, said her frustrations with fast fashion shaped The Nest’s business model.
“I’ve always felt left out of the fashion industry. I’ve been plus-size my entire life, and it’s been so hard to find affordable clothes that actually fit me that are stylish,” Sturm said. “So, I started thrifting really young because that’s the only place where I could afford and find the items.”
Von Meister and Sturm met in Providence while Sturm was studying brand management at Johnson & Wales University. Von Meister moved to the city following the pandemic.
What started as a casual plan to share a booth at the Providence Flea quickly grew into a bigger idea, and in 2021 they co-founded The Nest PVD.
The store’s first physical home – a second-floor mill space next to Oggie’s Trailer Park in Providence – reflected its grassroots beginnings. Originally envisioned as an event space that sells clothing to support its programming, customer demand quickly flipped that model.
“Our community said, ‘No, we want to shop here all the time,’ ” von Meister said.
In October 2023, The Nest moved into its current ground-floor location at 272 Carpenter St., a former steel mill executive office building that had sat vacant since the 1990s. The owners transformed the long-empty structure – once surrounded by gravel and debris – into a bright retail space, an adaptive reuse story that resonates in a city built on textile manufacturing.
“This space is where we really learned who we were and what our community wanted,” von Meister said.
The Nest employs seven people, featuring both full- and part-time staff, and is in the process of hiring roughly five more as it expands operations. Its customer base skews toward professionals and creatives in their 20s and 30s for retail, while education services draw customers into their 40s and 50s.
Beyond retail, von Meister describes the business as operating at the intersection of resale, education and waste management. To ensure unsold items don’t end up in a landfill, The Nest has a system for redistributing, recycling, or donating those items, and tailoring services emphasize repair over replacement.
That mission – and momentum – is fueling growth. The Nest has signed a lease for a second retail location at 400 Thames St. in Newport, with plans to open in early March. The team has received the keys to the space and will spend February building it out.
“It’s definitely happening,” von Meister said. “It’s exciting to see what we’ve built here translate to another community.”
OWNERS: Charlotte von Meister and Danielle Sturm
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Sustainable clothing retailer
LOCATION: 272 Carpenter St., Providence
EMPLOYEES: Seven
YEAR FOUNDED: 2021
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
