Customer Spotlight: Laura

Hello Meus Friends! One of the best parts of having a shop in Maplewood is the close-knit community that forms among our customers. Over the years, so many incredible people have walked through our doors that it only felt right to launch a project celebrating all that they bring to the community. Today, we are excited to introduce the Customer Spotlight Mini Series, where, from time to time, we will highlight a customer through fun social media content and an interview posted on our blog. Please join us in welcoming our first spotlight...

Laura radiates with joy as she enters MEUS, a smile sketched onto her face — she’s in one of her happy places, staring at the newest jewels and chatting up Marichelle at the front counter. 

Just a few weeks ago she visited sparkling with enthusiasm while curating teacher gifts as the school year ended. Le Bon Shoppe Boyfriend Socks of course found their way into each of the boxes. She stared at the selection of colors, tempted to add a pair to her cart as a little gift to herself, one she obviously deserved. The boxes were topped off with Madison + Green’s aromatherapy stress reliever jars to add a touch of self-care encouragement — something Marichelle infuses into every part of MEUS.  

Aside from being a fabulous customer, Laura is also an incredible person. She currently lives in Short Hills with her two kids, her seven-year-old son, and her four-year-old daughter. Her Maplewood journey began back in 2016 when she and her husband moved from Brooklyn to Mountain Ave – a special street with the front lawn in Millburn and the backyard in Maplewood. Pregnant with her first child, Laura started engaging with the Maplewood community, finding all sorts of artsy, lovely people she connected with. Along with her sparkly spirit, she also brought her work to Mapso and the greater community.  

Laura works as an Eating Disorder Dietician in Summit, New Jersey, but works both virtually and now again in person which she is very excited about. She’s been working in nutrition for 15 years but she’s been specializing in eating disorders for 11 years.  

Today, I spoke with her about her work journey and how MEUS has helped her build community in Maplewood. After meeting her a few weeks earlier, Marichelle and I couldn’t resist asking her to be our first customer spotlight feature. 

Laura and I sit in MEUS’s upstairs, our legs tucked onto the couch in the back, worried more about comfort and connection rather than looking professional. I notice she’s wearing a few Anzie pieces from the shop, ones she says she picked out specially because she knew she’d have her portrait taken. I didn’t put these fake curls in my hair for nothing, Jade!

Laura went to Syracuse University for her Bachelor’s and delved into the world of food, nutrition, and dietetics. She later worked in Boston while her husband pursued his law degree in the city. She worked in a hospital setting on a cardiology floor, assisting mainly older men who had suffered from heart attacks or other crises that brought them in for emergency care. Walking the halls with her white coat and the energy of her 22-year-old self, she wanted to foster connections with her patients, talking to them about where they were at and what she could do to best help them through treatment. Instead of inspiring conversations, she often was left to leave little nutrition pamphlets about how to avoid getting a heart attack again or trying to ask questions while a patient was slowly rising from a nap. I’ll just leave this here for you… Laura says in her sing-songy voice, mimicking her slithering away from the people’s room, unable to participate in the clinical aspect she realized was her true calling.

So, onto her Masters! Laura studied at NYU to obtain a masters in Clinical Nutrition Dietetics to complement her RD. This path incorporated knowledge and experience working in a counseling environment that most closely aligned with her philosophy around food and body image. She proceeded to work at a clinic in NYC that specialized in working with women and young girls – a job she adored. She met her patients where they were, finding the entanglements between the physical, the mental, and the psychological. Our culture teaches us, especially in women’s bodies, that they shouldn’t change, that they shouldn’t age, that we need to preserve our 18-year-old bodies forever and never buy new jeans. This is unrealistic and sets people up to hate their bodies as they get older because bodies change! It’s perfectly normal.

Diet culture distorts our image of normal, and Laura believes understanding everyone’s positionality and connection to these sociological cues is essential to keep in mind when working with her patients. Working 1-on-1 is Laura’s absolute favorite part of her job —her mission is to help folks recognize that their self-worth and value are not determined by their bodies. 

Now, with her husband, two kids, and her “geriatric yorkie”, Gatsby, Laura has cherished the connections she's made in her New Jersey home. But first… a fun fact about her dog Gatbsy! He and Laura conversed with Anne Hathaway back in Brooklyn one time on a casual dog walk Sunday! Laura was so flabbergasted by the meeting that she pretended to not know who Hathaway was and instead later marveled to her husband how the Anne Hathaway had pet her dog. 

Although Maplewood can be riddled with its own collection of celebrities, Laura comes into MEUS to chat with the lovely ladies who work the shop. Whether she brings friends in to buy sweet gifts for teachers or friends or wanders in alone, she always feels company, thanks to the gloriously curated space Marichelle has put together. Laura says Marichelle is so present in the store, whether physically helping customers out or her spirit simply being intertwined with the thoughtfulness gone into every product.  

Laura’s perfect afternoon starts here in Maplewood. She loves bringing her daughter to dance class downtown and bringing her son to Baker Street Market for an ice cream sandwich. After satisfying their sweet tooth, she’s drawn into MEUS, the jewelry cases pulling her in like glittery magnets – what new Melissa pieces are in? Any new Anzie earrings? Gotta love Adina Reyter! 

Whether picking out a new gem to style on herself as a little treat or putting together a custom gift basket for a birthday, there’s always a delightful selection of lotions, candles, socks, sheet masks, and other little goodies Laura raves about. All the delightful smells elicit every kind of mood, especially promoting stress relief. Her husband has a Madison+Green aromatherapy stress reliever bedside that he gently inhales before bed to ensure a delicious night of sleep.

There's so much to know about Laura, we couldn't possibly include it all in our feature today -- I feel honored I was able to speak with her in the shop! If you’re lucky enough, even get to meet Laura yourself in the shop!

We’d love to hear about your experiences with MEUS and the greater Maplewood community. Know someone who should be our next feature? Nominate them today!

Follow Laura on Instagram at @lauramanelta. You can find more about her practice www.lmsnutrition.com. Stay connected with MEUS on social media @meusshop and use #MEUSCustomerFeature to share your stories! 

We hope Laura’s spotlight inspires you to follow your dreams and find joy in the little nooks and crannies you find while in Maplewood. Shop small, shop local, shop with love :)

Written by Jade Poli