SWAMPSCOTT — The Hiccup, a gift shop in town, is closing permanently at the end of April.
Lisa Boemer opened the store right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down in 2020. Then, back in January of this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time and reached out to the community for help.
“There’s been quite a few hiccups recently in my life, pun intended,” Boemer said.
Now, she’s ready for the next step in her life.
“The shop, it was something that I’d always wanted to do, and it was a passion, but it had run its course. It was time to close, it wasn’t sustainable for me to be able to pay the bills,” Boemer said. “It’s time to move to something else.”
The plan is for her to return to corporate America, though she is not sure in what role. Her background is in senior administration and operations, and she would like to do something that involves travel.
Until then, Boemer said she will spend the next month focusing on the shop.
The Hiccup will remain open through the end of April, and Boemer said a final closing date has not yet been set. Everything in the store is on sale and online customers can use the code 25%off at checkout for a discount.
Boemer said she would like to thank Swampscott and its neighboring communities for the support the store has received since opening.
“Something I hope that we did bring to the community was joy,” Boemer said. “That was part of the goal of the shop, was to bring the community joy.”