Copyright Boston.com
A newcomer to Cambridge found her connection through a local craft store. When did you first feel at home here? When Hayley Perry-Sanchez moved to Cambridge after her husband, Helaman, got into Harvard Business School, it was a tough adjustment. His MBA program brought them to Massachusetts, but leaving what she called a “utopia” in Seattle wasn’t simple. They traded in a loft apartment for a $3,350-a-month Cambridge unit — two bedrooms, a patio, no dishwasher, communal laundry, with a lease starting on September 1. She didn’t love the Boston weather, food scene, or public transit options either. Business Insider followed Perry-Sanchez for a year to see how she adjusted to “the reality of uprooting your life.” Two months in, she told the publication, “I don’t love Boston so far, but I didn’t think I would.” She said she felt isolated that first winter, especially without a car, and had a hard time meeting people outside of her husband’s classmates at HBS. Living mostly off of student loans in Cambridge was also difficult. When spring came, she realized how much the weather affected her, according to Business Insider. “I don’t think I totally realized how stuck in the apartment I felt,” Hayley told the publication. Things began to shift when Perry-Sanchez redecorated her apartment and she began documenting her visits to local thrift and craft stores on TikTok. Befriending the owners at Sewfisticated in Dorchester became, “one of the first times she felt truly connected to Massachusetts.” Now, a year later, Perry-Sanchez doesn’t think Cambridge will become their forever home, but they have built a community beyond Harvard — and found better balance along the way.
