Photos by Stephanie C. Olsen
Aja Amontea is the founder and owner of Fig.A, a new women's shop in Downtown Hingham. We recently had the chance to catch up with her about the new shop and the inspiration for it. Fun fact, Aja's husband grew up in Hingham and his parents used to own Amontea's restaurant (an old Hingham Italian favorite where Tosca is now located). Fig.A is a beautiful space that aims to celebrate (and spoil!) local women. Stop on by and give Aja a warm welcome to Downtown!
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Hingham, meet Aja!
Where did the name Fig. A come from and what does it mean?
fig. a (read: figure a) is a nod to botanical and scientific illustrations that are noted fig. a, b, c etc. More importantly it signifies the importance in making personal wellness a priority - 'fig.' (body) 'a' (first). We are all about celebrating femininity and encouraging self-care, self-love, individuality, beauty and joy.
What is the address and what is the shop near?
102 North Street next door to Henry's Shoe Repair. It's near everything!
When is the grand opening date?
We had our soft opening Aug. 29 to 31. We are planning a 'grand opening' party before the end of the month and will announce that soon.
Why did you decide to open a women's shop and why downtown Hingham?
I have been a SAHM for the past six years and spent a lot of time daydreaming about having my own business. I am also a club soccer coach, currently for GPS Galway. I knew that I wanted to do something that empowered or at the very least supported women and girls. Downtown Hingham has always been special and right now is such an exciting time for the area. I have been a huge fan and regular at many of the shops and restaurants and now I am so excited to call them neighbors. It's an awesome community.
What does the shop offer -- ambience, products and items sold there?
The feedback has been 'it's so calm and peaceful in here' which is just the vibe we were going for! We carry women's and (soon) girls' active wear, casual fashion, candles, clean/nontoxic skincare and beauty, CBD products, jewelry and accessories. It's important that the brands we carry are eco and/or socially conscious. We have many female-founded and female-run brands.
What is unique about the shop and the items sold there?
I hope it's a place that makes you feel good and that you want to shop AND hang out in. In terms of products, we offer more fashion-forward studio activewear and more of a variety of it. Most of us live in leggings and sweats. We want to encourage moving away from disposable fashion and embrace wearing quality activewear and elevated, comfortable basics. You will be able to discover new brands, luxurious self-care products, and totally different styles of jewelry that won't be restocked. I plan to rotate certain designers to encourage individuality.
What's the decor like?
Serene and feminine. I plan to collaborate with wellness enthusiasts in our community, so the shop needed to have a studio feel. I think we successfully achieved this and I certainly didn't do it alone. I had the help of my husband, Adam Amontea, who is the President of Cafco Construction and Lindsay Kelly from JaneMade who nailed my branding vision and color palette. Lindsay is so talented and just happens to live in Hingham!
What do you think will make this a popular place to stop by?
It's a place of discovery and connection. You can find beautiful things, but I hope you will also connect with beautiful souls through us. We will host wellness-focused events once we are settled.
Can you share a little about your retail and other background?
People keep asking me if I have a background in retail and I always answer no. I have an extremely varied background. I started my studies in visual arts and transitioned to writing and media studies. I then worked in marketing communications and events, lots of restaurant jobs and I was always playing or coaching soccer. However, the other day I realized that one of my first jobs in high school was at Thom McAn in the Hanover Mall. I proceeded to work two other jobs in that mall. I was a Gap girl for years and did a very brief stint at Anthropologie in L.A. So maybe I have always been drawn to retail. I like to think I have always had my own individual style. I am pretty good at shopping and chatting, too.
Would you like to share something about your husband's parents owning the former Amontea's where Tosca is now located?
Hingham Dating A Girl From North Country
I wish I knew! Adam grew up in Hingham but I did not. I love hearing stories they share about their good ol' days there. They still have business cards and signs from the restaurant. Adam and I actually met at Stars. We were both just out of college. I was a server and he was a customer.
One of our favorite people in Hingham, Victoria Donnelly is a wife, mother, baker, and all-around badass. Hailing from England, Victoria started Boston's first mobile cupcakery and owned the brick and mortar Cakeology in Boston before settling in Hingham. Victoria is a humble person and would never tell you this fun-fact but she is the winner of The Food Network's popular show 'Cupcake Wars.' While her baking abilities are beyond description -- she has the most amazing, dare we say moist cakes, creative flavors, artful designs, and her buttercream frosting is simply heroic -- it is her thoughtfulness and genuine kindness that set her apart. A recent pinboard post about a local shopkeeper in need, quickly led Victoria to her store offering her time at the register if it would help. And, when we say she's a bad-ass we totally mean it, last year she climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro with the ultimate goal of checking off all seven summits - Mt. Elbrus in Russia is up next. When she's not baking or training, you can often find her wrapped up in a good book at Red Eye Roasters. Victoria lives in town with her husband and two adorable girls. We are grateful to call her our friend.
Hingham, meet Victoria.
When did you start baking? Do you remember who or what inspired you to begin baking?
A lot of people in this business talk about learning to bake at their grandmother's knee but nobody in my family has a sweet tooth except me and I didn't bake a thing until I was 27. I was on vacation in Seattle with my husband and I saw a beautiful cupcake book in a shop. I read it cover to cover and just knew that when we got back I'd quit my job and do everything I could to open a cupcake shop.
What is your favorite cake or cupcake flavor?
It changes with the seasons, but my Peach Melba cupcake is the one I can consistently eat four of without a hint of regret.
Tell us what it was like to be on Cupcake Wars.
It was wild. Completely terrifying but just an immense amount of fun. Who doesn't want to be a celebrity for five minutes, flying out to LA to be on TV?
What did winning Cupcake Wars mean to you?
It was the first time that I felt confident in what I was doing. Being self taught, this little cloud of doubt follows you around, but having watched the first season, I knew that if you won, you probably had some real potential. It pushed me to start scouting shop locations.
What are your goals for the future?
Without doubt to open a gorgeous full service scratch bakery in Hingham, of course!
What is your favorite restaurant in Hingham?
Hingham Dating A Girl From Nowhere
It's hard to deny the calamari at Square Café.
Who do you find to be the most inspiring person in Hingham?
Lori Lerner is doing so many great things in Malawi. I'm always very impressed by her. I'm inspired all the time in Redeye Roasters, listening to groups of women discussing various projects. Moms making it happen between school runs.
If you could pass along one message to your 21 year-old self, what would it be?
That everything was going to work out just fine. I'd recently graduated with a somewhat useless degree in Philosophy and was working as a receptionist in London. All the things I wanted seemed so far away and I wish I'd known then that I had all the tools to get them.
When presented with two options, when did you make a choice that totally changed the course of your life.
I was 24, dating a great guy in Boston, but having serious visa trouble. It came down to marry this guy or go home…I married the guy and I thank god every day that I managed clarity beyond my years!
What do you love most about Hingham?
It astounds me every day that I can walk to the ocean.
Favorite local spot?
I've got a little vegetable plot up at Weir River Farm and tending to it in the evenings as the sun goes down with the fields and Boston in the background feels pretty special.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
To climb Everest. I'm checking off the Seven Summits and climbed Kilimanjaro last year. I just bought an ice axe for training on Rainier that I'm very excited about!
Do you have a hidden talent?
I have two 'talents'. I can find any face in any crowd. I can also guess the time within a minute or two, day or night. If one of my kids wakes up, I'm like 'man…3:24am' without looking.
Favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere where I don't understand the menu.
What's one thing people may not know about you?
I run out of gas with ridiculous frequency. My kids still talk about that time Sergeant Smith saved the day on Lincoln St. during a heat wave.
