Nicole McGrew Helms The Chamber ALX

BY MARY ANN BARTON

Growing up in Elizabeth, N.J., there were signs that Nicole McGrew would follow the path that brought her to Alexandria, where she chairs The Chamber ALX.

"My Dad, ever since I was a little kid, called me 'a rebel with a cause,'" she said with a laugh. Her childhood "causes" included trying to get her father to stop smoking, giving tours of historic buildings and growing tomatoes in the front yard.

She first moved to the DC area in 2002, as a law school student at Georgetown. That eventually took her to the Department of Justice and later the White House, where she worked for the Obama administration.

Her accomplishments at the DOJ included work she did to help tribes share law enforcement data with their government partners. At the White House, working to get mental health treated more equitably was a victory.

By early 2017, with a change in administrations, McGrew was looking to put one of her passions — sustainability — into motion. After volunteering at Arcadia Farm

Camp (run by Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture) near Mount Vernon, she started Threadleaf & Company in 2018, opening a store in Old Town Alexandria.

During the pandemic, Threadleaf moved online and is now more event-oriented with pop-ups, speakers series and more. A silver lining from the pandemic? McGrew became a certified master gardener.

Her advice to other entrepreneurs includes "start small — keep your costs small while you're testing your concept." Another tip is to "look at your numbers and your feedback frequently. Don't wait a year. Make adjustments as necessary."

And finally, she notes that getting to know your fellow business owners is invaluable. "I find people are willing and happy to share information."