We recently connected with Emily Raleigh and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I had my business plan, the lease on my space, and even some contracts signed before I came up with the name for my shop. Coming from a career in branding, I was so nervous about getting it wrong because I know the value in the name and how much flows from it! This brand was supposed to be reflective of life on the island I call home, and I wanted to encapsulate what life looks like here now, when I was a little girl, and long before that. An ever-present feature of our ever-changing sandbar is our dunes. Covered in stunning dune grass, they are these strong barriers that protect us from wild storms, from N’or Easters to hurricanes, and their grasses billow in the wind, especially as the Southern sea breeze kicks in every afternoon during the summertime. I loved the word “dune” and thought of all the different designs we could create using that word, so before long, I was sold on “dune” being a part of the name.

When I considered what word to put with it, many came to mind, but I wanted something that would allow us to grow and change, should that be necessary. I was planning to open a concept shop, with a bookshop, an apothecary, and a home section, but I wasn’t sure if each section would do well or if I would need to either niche down or pivot altogether. With that in mind, I chose “market” as the third word, knowing it would emphasize the nature of our multiple shops in one space.

I chose for it to be called “The Dune Market” because I felt it sounded a bit more old school and a bit different than, say, a grocery store or another place that may use the term “market.”

I still was not sure about my decision until I called my sister and told her. And like all good sisters, she told me I found the name and to stop searching for another one. Since we opened I’ve heard time and time again from longtime locals and new visitors alike that they like the name, so I’m grateful I listened to her!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Emily Raleigh, and I’m the owner and shopkeeper of The Dune Market, a coastal living shop based in Beach Haven, New Jersey. We have a brick-and-mortar shop in the heart of Long Beach Island’s business district, Beach Haven, as well as e-commerce and wedding registries. We offer thoughtful goods for living by the beach in our three distinct shops: The Cottage (home decor), The Apothecary (bath & body), and The Bookshop (curated beach reads).

Prior to opening The Dune Market, I worked in branding, specializing mostly in international markets, for a tech company. I loved my job, especially the travel. While I was on work trips, I would stay a bit longer, exploring the markets, learning about different artisan styles, and perusing the local bookshops, all of which help me buy products for my shop to this day. But when the pandemic hit, my job changed heavily and after many meetings at 2 am to accommodate time zone differences, I just knew I was ready for something different.

At the same time, we had moved from the city back to my hometown on Long Beach Island, and I just had this itch to get back in the entrepreneurship seat (which is where I started my career), and I wanted to do it here, in the community I loved so deeply. And after many months of iterating on a loose idea I had for a coastal living brand for seven years, I decided to quit my job and pursue it. Six months later, I opened my doors!

I have loved building this business. I source products from all over the world, working with Fair Trade groups, small businesses, and local artisans and makers, and each of our products has a story and mission behind it. While I source from near and far, my goal is for the brand to reflect the simplistic magic of life by the beach, something I treasure from growing up on LBI. The shop itself has the same design, complete with knotty pine paneling from my own cottage, and furniture salvaged from old cottages across the island.

I’m most proud of how we make people feel when they are in our space. I work with the most wonderful group of women and our goal is to make everyone who walks through our doors feel welcome and appreciated, whether they are just browsing or shopping. This island has been so good to me my entire life, and I just want other people to have that same experience when they are at The Dune Market.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I started my career owning a media business. I sort of fell into it, as I started a digital magazine at 17 and it took off. I ended up expanding it into a media company in college and ran it during the day and went to college mostly at night. I had little experience being managed and it showed! I definitely did more things wrong than I did right and learned a lot along the way. But after that chapter concluded in my 20s, I knew I needed to be managed. Working in tech in particular was a game changer for understanding how to be a leader and how to build a culture that people enjoy and feel encouraged to go the extra mile.

So when I went to open my shop, while everyone was going to be part-time to start, I wanted to be really intentional about the team culture. I created an onboarding process. I made sure we had certain amenities and perks for everyone. And I did everything I could to make sure everyone felt appreciated.

I am very transparent about the business, from our daily sales goals to how I funded the business, and everything in between. If anyone on the team has questions, nothing is off-limits. And from what I’ve seen, everyone feels bought in on us reaching those goals. We do happy dances when we reach our monthly sales goals. We popped champagne the day we became profitable. We try to figure out what is going wrong when we have an off day. It’s a team effort and I think that is really special. Plus, a lot of our girls are in college and many are studying business. I want this to be a valuable experience where they learn something that will help them in their careers.

I still have a ton to learn, and I think that will always be the case. But I really try to lean into my days in previous roles. What made me feel appreciated? What were perks that left a lasting impression? What did my bosses do that made me feel like they cared about me and my career aspirations? While we are a small business and some team members will only ever be here for a few months in the summer, I want to make sure this is a positive experience for them.

How did you build your audience on social media?

A big driver of business for us, particularly when we first opened, was TikTok! Before I opened my doors, I was chronicling my journey to opening the shop on TikTok in a series called “The Making of a Shop.” I was just hoping that it would be helpful for another aspiring shopkeeper, but I learned just how localized the TikTok algorithm is. I had so many people coming through our doors that first year who were so kindly following that series! Since then, we’ve continued to build our audience on TikTok and Instagram, and along the way, I’ve tried to keep it very much from my point of view and my voice because if I’ve learned anything it is that people follow people, not brands. So I try to keep that in mind and keep our shop’s social feeling like your friendly neighborhood shop.

If you are starting to build a social media presence, I think the key, beyond consistency, is to solidify your voice and cater to your dream audience. Who are you hoping follows your page someday? Create content for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: thedunemarket.com
• Instagram: @thedunemarket
• Facebook: facebook.com/thedunemarket
• Other: TikTok: @emilyeraleigh

Image Credits
Calla Aniski Boyd for Ann Coen Studio