Woodbury Women Business Owners Lunch Monthly

Primrose School of Woodbury owner Tonya Holt’s son gets his hair cut at Salon Bambino. Her family lunches at Angelina’s Kitchen. She shops at A Whimsical Place and seeks home advice at Interior Impressions. Holt’s stops turned into friendships and after years of discussion, she turned to longtime friend Angela Verrastro, owner of Angelina’s Kitchen, and Salon Bambino owner Sara Gruett. Together they gathered some local women business owners to set aside a lunch hour each month to come together. “We are able to share different perspectives,” Verrastro says. “Perspectives about what customers are looking for, and different ways we can improve the services that each of us provide.”
   
Although their meetings don’t have a set agenda, Holt acknowledges that lunching with local business owners differs slightly from chatting with girlfriends. Sure, they talk kid and family milestones, yet they most often seek business advice and offer a sounding board. “We celebrate each other’s successes, commiserate on things that are going wrong, and collaborate on good business tactics,” Holt says. “We have become friends on top of it all.”
   
Gruett echoes Holt’s view. She says she appreciates the wisdom and experiences her lunch mates offer; an added bonus is that all are also moms. “It’s nice to know that we all want to be moms and business owners, and successful,” Gruett says. “It’s fun to find people that want what you want, and understand the sacrifices that you are making personally.”