Opening a small business at just 22 years old, less than a year from graduating from college, is something that not many people get to experience. For Lily Meglio, it became her reality in March 2026 when she opened Lily’s, a boutique located in Clinton, CT, just off Main Street.
Meglio graduated in May 2025 from Emmanuel College with a degree in marketing. Throughout high school and college, she worked at Flutterby, a gift shop in Guilford. Through this experience, she was able to see some of what owning and working at a shop is like. Though after college, her intent was not to own a business, it was to find a job in marketing.
“I applied for a couple of hundred jobs. I got some interviews, some I never heard back from at all, but it just never got anywhere,” said Meglio.
She started doing some research and looked into the idea of opening and owning a shop. She started making a business plan and had to figure out what she wanted it to look like, what she wanted to sell, and how much money she needed. She started this process in July and didn’t finish until November, and that is when she finally applied for the loan with the business plan.
She didn’t get the loan the first time, so she had to put in an appeal. “Appeals are very hard to get, so I thought I was
going to have to go back and keep looking for jobs, but surprisingly, I got the loan. Then it just started snowballing,” she said.
This was in December, and she didn’t get the keys to her shop space til the end of January, so she had a lot of time to fill with ordering products and buying from brands she wanted in her shop. She would often even get advice and opinions on items from her mom, sister, and her friends and family. She knew her main demographic was eventually everyone, but to start, she was gearing more towards women, but needed help with items older women may like since she can’t really relate to the older generation.
“I had a lot of support from friends and family, but another resource I found very helpful was SBDC(Small Business Development Center. It is. It is a free service, and they helped me with my business plan and with getting my loan. This was very necessary for me because there were a lot of things I needed help with and wouldn’t have known otherwise,” she said.
Owning a store comes with lots of challenges, such as figuring out what products and things work in her store and specifically in Clinton. Sometimes things don’t turn out or come the way she expects, and it is something that she is learning to adapt to.
“I’m still learning, but I’m trying my best every day to improve my store. Sometimes items don’t do well or things do well that I’m least expecting,” said Meglio.
Coming out of college with a degree in marketing, one thing Meglio knew she needed as a part of her store was a presence on social media. She posts content, mostly videos, on her Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts (shop.lilys).
“I started posting in January when I had a lot of downtime. I would post hauls or inventory to get people excited, and now I continue posting to help people see what is in the store. Especially since my location is a little hidden away from the main street, I think it is very helpful, and I have people tell me they see me on social media all of the time,” she said.
She had a family and friends opening in March, and a few days later, on March 7th, she had a grand opening. It was slow at first, but has started to blossom, especially
since the weather is getting nicer. More people are downtown and about. She often has “regulars” who come in at least once a week and have really helped her store grow, as she knows she has people she can rely on to always come in.
As hard as it has been for her, she has already accomplished so many more things than she ever expected, simply by
opening the store. She is filled with relief and happiness, and so grateful for this experience.
“It’s so cool. I still don’t feel like it’s mine. I’m so excited to come here every day, and it doesn’t feel real,” Lily Meglio closed.
