It all started with a book club. The origin story of Ella Barnette and Jessica Merrill’s tabletop rental service is the stuff of small business dreams.
When Barnette and Merrill, co-founders of On Brookside, started a book club in 2023, their aptitude for creativity and aesthetics found a natural home in creating table settings and decorations for book club nights. Barnette has 20 years of experience in fashion and styling, and Merrill is a former wedding planner turned graphic designer.
“We were just putting together these really beautiful tablescapes and that led to conversations around, ‘I would love to own more plates and flatware and glasses, I either don’t have anywhere to store or all of it, or I don’t necessarily want to spend the funds to collect all of it, or I don’t really have the eye,’ ” said Merrill, who also used to run the social component of the New Canaan Newcomers Club.
“It was just kind of a fun, creative expression for us… and we kind of had our own moment of being like, ‘Should we do this?’ ” Barnette added. “Because everyone’s reacting to it and giving us such a positive response. So that’s kind of how it naturally came to be.”
Barnette (left) has 20 years of experience in fashion and used to own a styling business. Merrill (right) had a wedding planning business before starting a graphic design company and sells paper and stationery in New Canaan. Credit: On Brookside / Andrea Ceraso
Barnette and Merrill did some market research and discovered there were very few tabletop rental companies in the area, and of those options, there was a need for tableware with more personality.
“It felt like we were missing things with a bit more color, and a bit more life, and a bit more pattern, and maybe things that told more of a story,” Merrill said.
So in October, they launched On Brookside — an ode to the fact that they’re neighbors on, you guessed it, Brookside Road. They actually met at a party and hit it off before discovering they lived directly across the street from each other.
Unlike the traditional tabletop rental service where you have to choose individual plates, utensils and glasses to compile a table setting from scratch, On Brookside offers a variety of curated place settings that you can simply click “Add to Cart.” Locals might seek professional help in designing a tablescape while planning a wedding or big event, but what about an intimate dinner party or smaller event? On Brookside does the legwork of putting together a cohesive look for those too busy or just design-challenged, its owners say.
The “Windrow” is named after Window Lane in New Canaan. Credit: On Brookside / Andrea Ceraso
“When we started On Brookside, it was very much tailored toward the in-home dinner party and wanting to revive that,” Merrill said. “That’s where the collections came into play, because you can simply say, I love how that looks. I want everything that I see on that table.”
Such collections include the playful “Windrow,” which includes orange and yellow patterned plates, teak flatware, and fringed napkins, or the rustic “Gracies,” which comes with bamboo-trimmed plates and flatware and earthy block-printed napkins. If the names sound familiar, it’s because collections are named after streets in New Canaan.
Each setting includes a salad plate, dinner plate, five-piece cutlery, water glass, wine glass, napkin, and a 70×120-inch table cloth for $50 a pop. Or clients can rent individual items and add accessories such as candlesticks, chargers, table lamps, and napkin rings. All of this can be done on the On Brookside website, or you can make a showroom appointment and meet with Barnette and Merrill in person.
Each collection is named after a street in New Canaan, like “Gracies,” pictured here. Credit: On Brookside / Andrea Ceraso
Barnette and Merrill said they spent six months sourcing the pieces, which come from all over the world including Italy, France, India, and Colombia. Some of the patterned pieces are custom-made.
“We really wanted to be thoughtful in how we curated our collections, versus just buying a bunch of inventory,” Barnette. said And then there’s the stationery.
Place cards, menus, invitations, and other custom papers are all created by Merrill, who believes such a thoughtful element “can completely transform a place setting.”
Asked what sets On Brookside apart from typical tabletop rental services, its founders pointed to the white glove service. The company can come in and set everything up and break everything down, “which adds that extra level of calmness and energy now so that the client can really just relax,” Barnette said.
Ultimately, the duo wants clients to think of On Brookside as a one-stop shop for hosting duties. Through relationships with vendors, On Brookside also offers floral arrangements and furniture rental. “Anything you really need to bring in, we can provide,” Merrill said. “It can really be soup to nuts.”
Merrill creates all of the stationery elements, like the menu featured here. Credit: On Brookside / Andrea Ceraso
Yes, they’re a rental business, said Merrill, “but I also think we’re a bit of a call to action.”
“I have a lot of conversations with peers in town where they actually are craving more real, true connection versus seeing what everyone’s doing through a device,” she said. “We want to create an experience where you leave that evening and you really feel joy and you are looking forward to another experience like that.”
On Brookside launched just in time for the holidays last year.
“November and December were very busy,” said Barnette of the many holiday parties they were hired for. They also did holiday house tours in New Canaan and Ridgefield. Since then, they’ve navigated the learning curve of taking on large scale events and now do anything from small dinner parties to weddings. Their clientele runs the gamut too: recently, they were hired for a gentleman’s 70th birthday party.
Overall, the response has been very positive.
“One of the best feedback that we’ve gotten from a lot of people was, ‘I wish I had thought to do this,’” Merrill said.
Looking to the future, the team wants to connect with customers in less familiar towns and areas within Fairfield and Westchester counties, which is where they conduct their business.
“We want the person who wants to make connections, that is truly at the root of the company,” Barnette said. “We want to encourage people to gather and make memories.” Additionally, they envision creating content on social media or elsewhere that collaborates with other female founders in the space.
And of course, Barnette and Merrill want to create a real-world community around On Brookside.
“When I think about the long term, I’d love to get into hosting community events and bringing people together,” Merrill said. Consider the table set for a promising future in New Canaan.
Rentals and a list of offerings can be found at www.OnBrookside.com. Showroom appointments in New Canaan are available and Barnette and Merrill can be reached at onbrookside@gmail.com.