Matt Khatib, owner of Keepsakes of Newburyport, was lured to the city from the Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge.  Khatib said that he did an analysis of the city (www.citydata.com) before jumping into Newburyport with his engraving and watch repair business in July. He also walked the city a few times with Ann Lagasse, leasing agent for Newburyport Development to assess potential competition.

Not coincidentally, the owner of the Galleria is New England Development (NED), whose affiliate/subsidiary Newburyport Development owns the building at 11 State Street where Keepsakes landed.

Khatib said NED suggested he should visit the area as it had a few openings: “We fell in love with the town and this is the location I liked the most.”

He also looked at a location on Inn Street and another on State Street. Then Khatib noted that people walking from the Green Street lot who come out the tunnel between buildings onto State Street end up directly across from him. The crosswalk is right outside the window of Keepsakes. The storefront is the former location of the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Katib said: “State Street had the most foot traffic, even in March.” He added that it is a “nice open space.”

Keepsakes offers services that Khatib and NED identified as lacking in Newburyport – on-site jewelry and watch repair and custom engraving.  The shop also offers fine jewelry, watches and giftware. The giftware is all  purchased by Khatib from American companies.

He said: “Our Kera frames are made right here in Newburyport.” Keepsakes is an authorized dealer of Swiss Army, Tissot, Bulova, Accutron, Skagen and Cross.

In Cambridge the business focused on custom engraving, which he can do on nearly any metal – gold, platinum, silver – and/or using any gemstone. After starting out in a store in the Galleria he moved to a kiosk in a prime walking area of the mall, right outside the Starbucks.

Since he has been in town for less than a year, Katib is not ready to make a comparison between Newburyport and The Galleria, but he said he is very happy with his decision to open here. Khatib said he has been in business on his own for four years in The Galleria, and he and wife Karyn are finding Newburyport to be welcoming and supportive.

Business has been very good, said Katib: “The town has been very good to us.”

An important part of this newcomer’s goal is to fit right in and go with the flow. Keepsakes offers discounts to other merchants and Katib has place a large box in its relatively small space, into which he hopes customers or anyone else will deposit new, unwrapped toys to benefit Toys for Tots.
Katib has not moved to Newburyport yet – Nashua, NH is still home – but he and his wife are looking to move southwards in the near future.