Harnessing the power of women-owned collectives

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She Gathers, the latest in Megan Forness’ three collectives of women-owned businesses, opened in North Tonawanda in August. It offers a chance to shop more than 20 different small businesses in one central space.
Photography / Katie Addo

By Devon Dams-O'Connor

Entering certain spaces, it’s obvious when someone has considered all the elements that make a place feel welcoming, inviting and full of belonging.

Just the right amount of light. A visual invitation inward thanks to details in color, materials and furnishings that indicate someone truly cares. Scent, sound, small shows of extra effort for no other reason than to spark a smile.

That’s how it feels walking into She Gathers, a shopping experience with refreshments on Webster Street in North Tonawanda that opened in August. It’s the latest of three women-owned business collectives curated by owner Megan Forness, who has a knack for seeing the potential in spaces, women and the intentional communities they can create, together.

Besides She Gathers, Megan also runs Valvaere Collective, a wellness-centered assembly of complementary businesses in a turn-of-the-century building on Main Street near Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, and Hiraeth House, the original fruition of Megan’s vision housing a variety of entrepreneurs and practitioners in a sturdy old house on Delaware Avenue in Allentown.

These three buildings share that same welcoming vibe. That’s because they are home to dozens of businesses, all locally owned by women, all of whom share space, support and energy with other female entrepreneurs who have faced similar barriers and experiences.

“There was a huge, silent demand for safe spaces like this,” Megan explains. “There are 38 women-owned business tenants in these three buildings. The majority have had men talking down to them, people not taking them seriously, dismissing them entirely, or assuming their husband runs the business and the woman is just playing shop.”

Home base

The first collective, Hiraeth House, is named by a Welsh word loosely translated to longing or nostalgia, a feeling that ties Megan to the stately brick duplex built in 1900. The building was her dad’s, half his business and half his home. When he died, Megan ran his affairs for a while and realized that entrepreneurship suited her better than a career in healthcare operations. She first opened Barretend where her father’s business had been, a barre studio that’s now located in North Tonawanda, right before Covid hit.

As in-person activity ground to a halt, she would regularly hang out in the other half of the building where her dad had lived, trying to figure out what to do with the space.

“I didn’t want to rent it out as an apartment,” Megan says. “I didn’t want to not be able to visit it.”

At the time she was renting a few rooms to other women business owners and realized the support network they had created didn’t exist anywhere else in their lives. So she put out an invitation to other women entrepreneurs to join them, and within two weeks, every room in the house was full.

Hiraeth House officially opened in 2021, its period detail and sprawling fireplace-accented spaces alive with activities, ideas, spontaneous collaboration and genuine belly laughter.

“There’s a different energy here,” says Megan. “All of us are here on Thursdays, and that provides dopamine to fuel my entire week.”

Nicolette Tse, owner of The Knotted Fox, displays her vintage rugs in the home’s living room. She says while the beautiful woodwork and natural light help showcase the artistry of her rugs, the affordable space and camaraderie are what helps her business thrive.

“It feels like home—very safe, welcoming and warm,” she says. “It’s an open space for creative minds where we can learn about everyone else’s business experience, struggles and opportunities together and share info and ideas. There’s no judgement.”

Healthy expansion

Valvaere Collective, drawing from Welsh for wellness, offers that, too. The developers of The Rails Buffalo apartment complex invited Megan to consult on a project to fill an adjacent building with small shops and businesses. She fell in love with the cozy brick structure, took it over and Valvaere Collective was born in 2024.

A coffee shop serves as the bustling hub in the central foyer, with a cozy sitting area in the front parlor. There’s also a hair studio, little retail nooks, a chiropractic office and more, all amenities chosen to serve the community surrounding it.

“These aren’t offerings I would’ve sought out to put together, but it just works,” says Megan. “Wellness means a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s not just a spa day; it could be a visit to the toy library or browsing a book shop, so we have both here.”

Shift to shop

Less than a year after Valvaere opened, a storefront with huge display windows and a pressed tin ceiling on North Tonawanda’s revitalized Webster Street went up for sale. Megan wasn’t sure what it would become, but she knew she wanted it.

She Gathers follows the woman-owned collective model of her first two projects, but in a different format. The spacious storefront is a meandering series of smaller booths and nooks, each one featuring the work and wares of a different vendor. Skincare, clothing, tea, candles, books, honey, sourdough and more, beautifully crafted and curated by women working together to create a unique shopping experience. An inviting bar along one side of the space lined with upholstered high-back stools beckons shoppers to enjoy a snack, cup of tea or glass of wine. A calendar of events draws energy and crowds in regularly.

Jennifer Kovach, owner of Naked Up North, sells her artisan soy candles through a self-serve shopping nook next to the coffee counter at Valvaere. She says the three collectives are thriving thanks to Megan’s natural ability to connect like-minded women from all walks of life.

“She’s truly supporting women in business—this isn’t just slapping on a hashtag,” says Jennifer. “We’re all actually going to do the thing, put in the work, sit down, talk to each other, solve problems and support each other really.”