Jillian Gilbride, in her own words, has always had a “passion for fashion.”
“I was always the go-to friend to dress my friends, pick out their outfits for them,” she says. “But I never thought I’d be able to make a career out of fashion.”
Luckily for North Shore fashionistas, Gilbride proved herself wrong. She just opened her second franchise location of the women’s clothing and accessories boutique Bobbles & Lace at Tuscan Village in Salem, New Hampshire, in November. She opened her first at Assembly Row in Somerville in 2023.
Bobbles & Lace, which started with a single boutique in Marblehead in 2008, has now expanded beyond the North Shore to eight corporate and 12 franchise stores around the country, including ones in Atlanta, Charlston, and Orlando. Bobbles & Lace Tuscan Village is the shop’s 20th outpost, and like its other locations, offers stylish, beautiful clothing, jewelry, and accessories at an affordable price.
As a franchise owner, Gilbride has put her own stamp on the newest store. Located in the midst of the bustling Tuscan Village, the new Bobbles & Lace is flooded with natural light and has touches of greenery that pop against the shop’s soft, neutral palette. Although it’s smaller than Gilbride’s Assembly Row location, she says it’s just as packed with fun clothing, jewelry, and accessories.
Just like in her other location, Gilbride prides herself most on the way customers are greeted and treated when they visit Bobbles & Lace Tuscan Village. Gilbride says that first and foremost, she and her staff want to know what has brought shoppers into the store and what they’re looking for. She says her goal is to make women feel special, help them find beautiful clothing that will last, and create long-standing relationships with customers.
“Our whole mission is to transform the way women shop. We want to find them that perfect pair of jeans or that perfect outfit that they’re going to feel absolutely amazing in, and they’re going to know how to wear it,” says Gilbride.
That philosophy extends to the way Gilbride hires employees, too. Instead of simply hiring sales associates, she looks for stylists who understand clothing, fashion, and women’s bodies.
“It’s really not your average retail business. We are stylists,” she says. “We are giving an experience that women can’t get just walking into any really retail store.”
Although Gilbride studied health science, graduating in 2020 when the world had shut down made it hard to find a job, so she pivoted to real estate. But that wasn’t fulfilling, either. That’s when she started working as a stylist for Bobbles & Lace corporate stores in Newburyport, Marblehead, and Andover.
“That’s kind of where I just fell back in love with fashion and the whole styling end of things,” she said.
When Bobbles & Lace started franchising a few years ago, Gilbride jumped at the chance, meeting with founder Lindsay Rose Rando before opening her own location in 2023.
Now, she’s focused on building her Tuscan Village location, too, and looking forward to spring and summer, which will bring new fashions to the shop (look for pops of color, especially baby pink, which Gilbride says will be “huge”) as well fun, free events. Past events have included a Galentine’s party and a medspa day. Look for new happenings on Bobbles & Lace Tuscan Village’s Instagram page.
Although she wasn’t sure whether she could make a career in fashion, Gilbride has zero doubts now. At just 27 years old, Gilbride has two stores and can “definitely” see herself opening a third, all with an eye toward bringing fun, accessible shopping to women.
“I love opening these and bringing this experience to new markets,” she says.