An old company store gets a new purpose

Shari Aussant spent years on the road selling clothes and jewelry out of her mobile boutique. Everywhere she went she always had a piece of Wareham with her but now that she is back in town, she is bringing new life to an old store.

Mermaids on Cape Cod is a boutique selling clothes, jewelry and artisan art pieces that recently set up shop in Wareham after spending many years on the road operating as a mobile business with a store front in West Dennis.

The new Wareham storefront is located at 2573 Cranberry Road and owned by Aussant, the owner of the closed Tremont Nail Factory Old Company Store.

The new storefront is right near where the Old Company Store was and Aussant has combined the two, selling a variety of sweets and treats along with her clothing and jewelry.

Aussant is originally from Wareham and she and her father bought the Old Company store in 1992 upon hearing it was going to close. They ran the store until 2018 when it did finally close.

On top of help running the store, Aussant started Mermaids on Cape Cod in 2013 and ran the business out of an old bus. She would travel to festivals, fairs and house parties selling clothes, jewelry and artisan art pieces as well as products from the Old Company Store.

"I saw a cute little coffee truck and thought 'I should put my clothes in there,'" she said.

After years of solely being a mobile business, Aussant eventually opened her West Dennis storefront in 2023, which is now closed.

"It was so much fun to drive down the street with the big mermaid bus," Aussant said. "Women got so excited when they would see it and even the guys had a blast."

Aussant said she came back to Wareham to be closer to her mother and sister who also recently moved back to town. She added that her family coming back to Wareham is something her dad always wanted after she started her own business.

"My friends from the Cape keep coming here, my friends from Middleboro and Wareham keep coming here and it just feels so bright," she said.

She added that since coming back to town and opening her store on March 22, she has reconnected with many former Old Company Store customers.

"All my old customers who were little tiny kids who used to buy penny candy are coming in with their own children," she said. "My heart is so full and I'm so happy to be here."

While the mobile boutique has been shut down, the bus is parked outside of the new storefront where Aussant said she hopes to spread lots of happiness to lots of people.

"I want to make people feel happy, I want to make them feel seen and I want them to walk into a space where they feel like they matter," she said. "They're not just a customer, they're a friend or even a family member."