Covet Consignment, the Boston boutique known for blending designer finds with everyday labels, is finally leaving the city for the first time in its 13-year history, with a new Harvard Square shop planned for 1308 Massachusetts Avenue. The store will take over the longtime home of Gnomon Copy, the print shop that served MIT and Harvard students for more than five decades before closing its doors, and will sit next door to J.P. Licks.
Covet founder and CEO Hanadi Hamzeh, a Massachusetts native and first-generation Palestinian American, confirmed the Cambridge expansion and said the company is excited to bring its business across the river, according to WhatNow. Hamzeh built Covet from an eBay side hustle into a South Boston brick-and-mortar shop in 2013, and the business has since grown to four Boston locations, including boutiques in Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the South End. Construction has already started at the new Cambridge space, with the opening projected for around January 2027, though the outlet notes that timeline adjustments remain common during commercial build-outs in historic Cambridge structures.
A Storefront With Deep Harvard Square Roots
The space Covet is moving into carries its own history. Gnomon Copy was originally established in an MIT dormitory in 1966 and operated out of 1308 Massachusetts Avenue for more than 50 years before permanently closing its Harvard Square store on May 30, 2025, according to Cambridge Day. After the closure, nearby print shop FlashPrint acquired Gnomon's customer accounts and ongoing printing projects that June, absorbing the business's longtime academic and institutional clientele.
Covet's arrival continues a broader shift in Harvard Square away from traditional print and academic service providers toward boutique fashion and lifestyle retail. The neighborhood has seen a wave of storefront turnover in recent months: 7th Street Burger announced plans to open at the former Concepts streetwear space on Brattle Street in early 2027, and Florida-based Pura Vida Miami recently secured a special permit for a nearly 4,200-square-foot café at 95 Mount Auburn Street, filling a spot vacant since 2023.
Sidestepping the Formula Business Rules
Unlike those national chains, Covet won't need to navigate Cambridge's formula business regulations, which require special permits from the Board of Zoning Appeal for standardized businesses operating 10 or more locations nationwide. The city adopted the rules to protect its goal of 70% independent ground-floor retail in Harvard Square, according to the City of Cambridge. As an independent, woman-owned boutique, Covet bypasses the permitting hurdles that often slow larger retailers' entry into the Square.
Curated Racks and a Loyal Local Following
Covet's model has earned it a loyal following and repeated local recognition. Boston Magazine named it Best Luxury Consignment Shop in both 2022 and 2024 before honoring the brand with Best Everyday Essentials in its 2026 Best of Boston awards. Hoodline previously ranked Covet's South Boston flagship as the city's top women's clothing shop based on local Yelp reviews back in 2019.
At its stores, Covet organizes merchandise by color, size, and style for a curated shopping experience, mixing accessible everyday labels with luxury designer pieces at every price point. The shop accepts freshly cleaned, in-season clothing, shoes, and accessories in excellent condition, selecting items based on condition, style, brand, season, and available store capacity. Consignors may bring up to 25 items Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., must pick up anything not accepted by the end of the day, and earn 40% of an item's selling price, with higher commission rates offered for luxury goods. The store does not carry real fur or exotic skins and supports humanitarian causes and animal welfare. Covet also hosts special shopping events, including its next $5 bin sale, when every item in designated bins is priced at $5, scheduled for October 28.
Riding a National Resale Wave
Covet's expansion lands amid a broader surge in secondhand shopping. The U.S. secondhand apparel market grew 13% in 2025, nearly four times faster than the primary retail clothing sector, reaching $55.5 billion and projecting to hit $78.8 billion by 2030, according to Retail Dive. Gen Z and Millennial consumers are projected to drive more than 70% of that growth through 2030, with 59% of all U.S. shoppers purchasing secondhand apparel in 2025, per Forbes. That demographic overlaps heavily with Harvard Square's student and young professional population, giving Covet a built-in customer base as it settles into its new Cambridge home.
