Hidden Gems: Meet Molly Shaheen of WHEAT

Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Shaheen.

Hi Molly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
Me and my husband, Huw Collins, started WHEAT in 2017, with a mission statement to develop highly curated boutique destinations in beautiful locations. We had to have something of a proof of concept, which lead to us opening our first retail destination in York, Maine, a quintessential East Coast town close to where I grew up (incidentally, 30 feet across the street from where my parents also opened a store in 1969, and it’s still there today). We grew quite quickly and organically from there, and we were fortunate to get the opportunity to open at Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica in 2019. After that, we had a lot of interest from other hotels to open with them, and we have since developed multi-brand retail experiences within luxury hotel destinations such as Four Seasons Anguilla, Four Seasons Lāna’i, and Faraway Martha’s Vineyard, as well as stand-alone stores, including our WHEAT Nantucket location. In 2020, we founded our clothing line, The WHEAT Collection, manufactured in Los Angeles and made with the modern traveler in mind. We took a lot of time to understand our guests, how they move through the world, and how we could complement their lifestyle with a collection of elevated luxury staples that could adapt to all seasons, climates, and locations. We are something of gluttons for punishment, so in addition, we have a candle and fragrance line, also made in L.A., featuring scents that take inspiration from the magic of destination, and we also have three coffee shops called The Strand, one in York, ME, one in Nantucket, MA, and one in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. 

It’s been an incredible seven years so far, and we’ve grown faster and further afield than we could imagine when we began. There have been a few lucid ‘pinch-me’ moments when we’ve been on a boat in the Caribbean en route to one of our destinations or flying out to Lāna’i in Hawai’i for a site visit that seem somewhat unreal at times, and long may that continue. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with most industries, Covid19 posed many challenges. Our clothing line made its debut in March 2020; literally, on the 16th, our first production was delivered, and it was the same day most of the US shut down. So, just as the collection was getting its start, the world began shutting down, and despite a lot of people’s desire to be comfortable at home, we were so new that it was hard to penetrate an already established market. Then, with so many of our retail destinations partnering with hotels, we were deeply affected by the change in travel patterns that not only occurred at the onset of the pandemic but continued for the next several years. We consider ourselves lucky, though, in that all of our destinations have experienced an incredible recovery, and we are fortunate to continue growing to new locations. 

One of our biggest recent challenges was being affected by the devastating fires in Maui at our destination at Ritz Carlton Kapalua – our WHEAT Ohana there experienced deep hardships, and the entire community will obviously be facing ongoing challenges in the months and years ahead. Again, we are so grateful that our team is physically well, and we are in awe of the positivity and love they bring to us, to each other, and to our guests, in spite of the difficulties they faced and continue to face. Experiencing business setbacks like this, we do find it’s an incredible reminder that as a business, you’re really just a sum of many parts, and those parts are human. So, the opportunity to be supportive and patient for our team in Maui, and to live up to the words we say when we call it a WHEAT ‘family’, meant a huge amount to us and to our team there, and we continue to support them through the recovery efforts today. 

As with any business, or life in general, things are not always smooth – we’ve found that one of the keys to our growth has been persevering through problems and knowing when to pivot or adjust course even when the going gets tough. You have to accept that challenges are part of owning a business and get ready to face them head-on. 

As you know, we’re big fans of WHEAT. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
WHEAT is a multi-faceted retail brand with physical multi-brand retail locations across North America and the Caribbean, a US-made, eco-conscious clothing collection, and a US-made candle and fragrance collection. Each of WHEAT’s retail locations is individually curated for the particular destination and season and created with the wants and needs of the luxury traveler in mind. In addition to the many brands we partner with to bring to guests within our stores (such as Zimmermann, Tom Ford eyewear, Re/Done, ALC, Āzlee fine jewelry, and many more), we are proud to design and manufacture our own collections entirely in the United States, and we utilize as many practices as possible within our business that are eco-conscious & sustainable. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Molly: I just read ‘The Messy Truth’ about the founder of DryBar, which was a great read. So much of the founder’s journey resonated with our own journey with WHEAT, and I read it in a couple of days. It’s encouraging to know that others are going through similar ups and downs when you’re growing a business and how much resolve you have to possess to succeed. Huw: I have been reading ‘Accidental Presidents’ (I quite enjoy American politics), which is a fascinating read about all the Vice-Presidents who have become Presidents because of the demise of the President they serve under. I’m always interested in the lessons that history can teach and how different people react, both good and bad, to extreme circumstances. 

In terms of podcasts, we just listened to The Girl in the Blue Mustang, and LISK, both were true crime and both very good indeed. We do like to take very long drives, so a good podcast always comes in handy!! 

Contact Info:

• Website: thewheatcollection.com
• Instagram: @thewheatcollection

Image Credits
Claire Leahy
Huw Collins