SOMERVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Online Product Launch Platform the Grommet Merges Digital and Physical Shopping by Partnering with a Local Boston Boutique to Bring Their New-to-Market Products to Life.

Innovation is in! On November 20, The Grommet will be launching a “Pop-In” store in partnership with local Boston boutique Michelle Willey as part of an ongoing effort to bridge the e-commerce to brick and mortar gap, and educate shoppers on supporting independent Makers in the run-up to the holiday season.

With so many consumers on the hunt for the most unique gift, The Grommet and Michelle Willey invite shoppers to experience what it means to “Give Differently” with their thoughtful and innovative gifts. Through the “Pop-In” experience, shoppers will be able to touch, test, and purchase Grommet products on-site as part of a branded installation within the shop. For sale will be popular items such as instructive yoga mat by Yoga by Numbers, Boston-born and manufactured drink lids by Cuppow and custom handcrafted gold and silver jewelry by Dennis Higgins among others– all of which are created by independent Makers and have been vetted and approved by The Grommet’s own Discovery Team.

Throughout the month of its duration within Michelle Willey, The Grommet will host a number of events that aim to bring the online product launch platform’s core values to physical life through “Meet the Maker” sessions for customers to come in and interact with the product creators as well as the celebration of Small Business Saturday to promote local and SMB shopping.

Jules Pieri, CEO of The Grommet, looks forward to partnering with Michelle Willey who is a long-time friend of The Grommet since its early days and shares the same mission of empowering makers through independent commerce and promoting gifting with unique goods.

“’Giving Differently’ means making gifting a highly personalized, thoughtful process while supporting independent Makers. We have been yearning to bring our Grommets to a store like Michelle Willey, where the magic of this vibrant source of innovation can be experienced first-hand. If we all just transfer 10% of our personal budgets to supporting Makers, we can create a massive positive economic impact.”

The Pop-In experience will launch on November 20, 2014 with a kick-off party for invited guests, and will subsequently remain open during normal store hours through the month of December. Shoppers are welcome to visit the store on 8 Union Park St. in Boston, MA and shop Michelle Willey and The Grommet’s array of products.

About The Grommet: Founded in 2008, The Grommet is a curated online marketplace and product launch platform for undiscovered products that's reshaping the way people fundamentally launch, discover, share, influence and buy products online. Its mission is rooted in the philosophy of Citizen Commerce™, a movement that enables product purchases that express powerful contemporary values around sustainability, quality, technology and social enterprise. Since its founding, The Grommet has grown into a trusted and influential source for launching new products, having been among the very first to discover Fitbit, Soda Stream and Bananagrams, and making them into household names. To learn more about The Grommet's products and mission, visit the website at http://www.thegrommet.com and CEO Jules Pieri's blog at http://jules.thegrommet.com/ You can also follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and Facebook and watch their videos on their YouTube channel.

About Michelle Willey: Michelle Willey's well-edited design boutique in Boston’s South End offers pared down sophistication with its well-curated selection of simple, elegant home furnishings and fashion accessories. The scientist-turned-entrepreneur chooses contemporary and timeless pieces of high quality that are worthy of special occasions but practical enough for everyday and built to last a lifetime. Products range from hand-woven Tibetan pillows and French porcelain dinnerware to Massachusetts-based Matouk linens, and small, independent makers and artisans.