'I just want people to have fun': Partridge in a Bear Tree celebrating 20 years in business

Jim Sullivan, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·4 min read

Jun. 10—NEWBURYPORT — Kevin Riley loves Christmas and he gets to live the holiday season everyday as the owner of downtown's Partridge in a Bear Tree gift shop.

Riley was working in corporate banking when he took over the Christmas-themed Holiday Enchantment gift shop at 17 Market Square in 2002.

"I was a year-round Christmas collector and I used to come into the store and, one day, the owner (Natalie Brady) asked me if I wanted to buy her store," said Riley, whose business is now celebrating 20 years.

Riley turned the offer down at first, but his mind kept wandering back to it. He eventually decided to buy the business along with a silent partner and make a go of it, even though he had never been in retail before and had "no idea" what he was doing.

Riley and company made some upgrades, diversified the shop's inventory to account for all four seasons, and Holiday Enchantment became Partridge in a Bear Tree.

The shop's unusual name was inspired by Riley's mother, Patricia, who loved Christmas and collected "Partridge in a Pear Tree" memorabilia, while he always collected bears.

"We were flying home from a buying trip and trying to figure out what we were going to do about the name of the store," Riley said. "I had had a few cocktails and I started to sing, 'and a partridge in a pear tree.' Then that turned into 'a partridge in a bear tree, and we knew that would just be perfect, especially for downtown Newburyport. You had the Monkey's Fist and the Elephant's Trunk here at the time and we still have The Brass Lyon, so we decided to just go for it."

The first five years were difficult for Riley, who said things turned around in 2007.

"I really didn't know if we were going to make it during the early years. Frankly, there were years when we should have closed but I just wasn't going to let that happen," he said.

But the Partridge kept flying and Riley eventually took over State Street Candle and Mugs' candle lines when that business left the city in 2006 and he opened a Salem, Mass., location in 2015.

Both the Newburyport and Salem locations had their best years in 2021, according to Riley, who added things are also looking good for 2022.

Partridge in a Bear Tree has become a traditional Christmas visit for many locals and visitors alike, but Riley has also made sure to diversify along way.

The two gift shops currently offer scented candles, as well as humorous gifts, towels, signs, cards, and a collection of (somewhat naughty) mermaids and mermen.

"I like to say we're a step above Spencer's Gifts and a step below Hallmark. We teeter right on the edge," Riley joked. "We've got plenty of everyday stuff, nautical stuff, a full line of candles and all the seasonal fragrances and funny cards that you can't find anywhere else in the downtown. and we always go big on Halloween."

Riley attributed a good deal of his shops' success to offering the customer a memorable experience.

"I just want people to have fun when they come into the store," he said. "Too many people remember a bad experience and they will go online and get what they want. But, if you get people to have fun in your stores, you're friendly but not on top of them, and you joke around with them, it works out."

Riley's sense of humor is most prominently on display during the holidays when Partridge in a Bear Tree joins in on the city's Invitation Nights.

"That's when I get on my onesie with some crazy shirts and I make up our punch. We play some fun music and have a good time," he said.

The two stores can employ up to a dozen people during the busy times of the year. Riley works in Newburyport with his old friend Jill Hovan, who currently serves as the head buyer and manager of that location.

"Kevin and I have known each other for so long, it's not even like work. We're surrounded by Christmas, all the time, how can you have a bad day like that?" Hovan asked.

People come to Newburyport from all over the the world each year, according to Riley, who said they often visit his flagship location as a part of their visit.

"We've had a lot of British people coming in over the past few weeks and we really do get people from all over the place," Hovan said.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.