Boutique owner plans to spread Happy-ness to West Acton

The founder of Happy on Main wants customers to be happy on Commonwealth Avenue too.

A year after opening her Acton Center boutique, founder Sanna McAuliffe is preparing to launch Happy West Acton at the former home of The Spectacle Maven, where storefront windows display “coming soon” signage.

Expected to open by the end of the summer, the new store, like the flagship, will carry clothing and jewelry while giving McAuliffe more space to host events, such as workshops and trunk shows. 

“The events and the community aspect that I love, and that work, and that I want to do more of, are not scalable in 500 square feet,” she told The Acton Bridge. She plans to keep both stores open for the foreseeable future.

A gathering place

The new spot more than doubles McAuliffe’s leased space for a business that she says offers more than physical products by providing a place for women to connect as they peruse curated items from female-owned brands, get their ears pierced, and try new activities, such as mahjong.

“My favorite thing is when I have a grandmother and a mother and a daughter come in and shop together, and they all find something that feels special, even if it’s the smallest thing, like a hair clip, or maybe a bigger thing, like a dress for a wedding,” McAuliffe said.

Since Happy on Main’s May 2025 opening, besides Acton residents, she’s noticed customers have come from Bedford, Lexington, Wayland, and other area towns. She also offers products online, which makes up about 5% of sales.

A lifelong connection 

A mom of four kids ages 2-10 and a Acton resident since 2020, McAuliffe has long had a strong connection to the town where she was born and where she married her husband, Kevin. 

Having grown up in a divorced household in New Hampshire, she has fond memories of frequently visiting Acton with her father and sisters to spend time with her grandparents, who lived on Keyes Road, practically across the street from her first store.

She signed the lease on Main Street in December 2024 after leaving Fidelity as head of client development. Having always wanted to own her own business, McAuliffe said the location seemed “meant to be,” adding, “Acton is a safe place for me.”

McAuliffe is forthcoming about a time in her life when she did not feel safe. Her stepfather assaulted her when she was 6 years old. In 2022, nearly 30 years later, he pleaded guilty to an aggravated felonious sexual assault charge and was sentenced to 12 months in prison. 

McAuliffe’s story attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who called McAuliffe “brave” on a podcast this year about entrepreneurship. McAuliffe asked Winfrey and venture capitalist Jurgen Ingels for advice on sustaining her business while sticking to her mission of supporting and empowering other women.

An uncommon expansion

Much of how McAuliffe runs and plans the business stems from what she learned during her time at Fidelity, where she worked for over a decade. 

For example, the investment firm uses a “test and learn” methodology when trying new products, and McAuliffe plans to test new clothing lines at the West Acton location before deciding whether to sell them at the flagship store.

Besides Dunkin’ and Starbucks, no other business in recent memory has opened two locations in Acton, according to the Chamber of Commerce.