The Petros family of Dracut has really taken Dracut’s home-business bylaw to heart.
No less than four businesses are run out of the house between dad John, mom Phyllis and daughter Victoria.
In June 2021, Dracut Town Meeting voted to amend the zoning bylaws to allow “home occupations” by right, without a special permit, in residential districts as long as the business is operated solely within the home, an accessory building or an offsite location, such as a client’s office. The business must also: be incidental and secondary to the residential purpose of the premises; not produce offensive noise, smoke, dust, etc.; not exhibit exterior indication of its presence; and be registered with the Town Clerk.
John Petros runs two businesses from his home at 1320 Mammoth Road: Mill City Marketing MA and Mill City Travel MA. Phyllis runs Tiny Fingers Tiny Toes Day Care. And Victoria operates Kick-Out Creations, an online craft store.
With Mill City Marketing MA, John works with small businesses looking to grow in the wake of the pandemic. He attended an online course run by Billy Gene Is Marketing while he was out of work, got certified as a marketing professional, and attended a graduation ceremony in San Diego, Calif.
“I help businesses small and large increase sales and get more customers for their services or products,” he says. “I create online ads for all social-media platforms and create a complete and automated sequence that builds an email list for follow-ups.”
John got the idea for Mill City Travel MA when he took a cruise and loved it.
“Now I want to help other people have the same experience no matter where they want to go,” he says. “I have an association with most travel agencies and cruise lines.”
You can reach John at johnpetrossr@outlook.com.
So with mom and dad both running businesses out of the house, it didn’t take long for Victoria to follow suit. She took her lifelong love for art and turned it into a website, www.kickoutcreations.com, where folks can order all sorts of items – T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, tumblers, coasters and more – and have them customized.
“I’ve always been artistic,” Victoria says. “I actually grew up drawing, and I went to Greater Lowell Tech and studied Graphic Design. I also worked for two graphic-design companies.”
Check out Victoria’s works at kickoutcreations.com, or email kickoutcreations01gmail.com.