Bobby Graham and Matthew Marden: The story behind Dugazon

"This truly is a dream come true...to create something containing all the things I’ve loved."
Bobby Graham

Bobby Graham and his husband, Matthew Marden, opened their home and lifestyle shop, Dugazon, in a clapboard house in Sharon six months ago. Word spread quickly that their shop is filled with objects of beauty, utility and elegance. Graham and Marden tell a story of family, tradition, joy, food, community and welcome.

Jennifer Almquist sat down with the couple for a conversation about design, storytelling and building a life — and business — together.

Jennifer Almquist: When did this dream begin?

Bobby Graham: This truly is a dream come true. I wanted to open this shop for more than 30 years, to create something containing all the things I’ve loved that have inspired me.

Matthew Marden: Dugazon has exceeded our expectations. Having our own business, no longer part of a large corporate structure, allows us to tell our stories and work together.

JA: What is your earliest memory that set you on your journey?

BG: My earliest memories include going to flea markets and antique shops with my mom. I still have my vast collection of wooden animals that my mom started when I was a little boy.

JA: What are your earliest memories that drew you to beauty, design and fashion?

MM: I’ve always been a visual person. I was fascinated with The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. I loved their imaginative worlds. It was the late ’70s, and I remember being oddly interested in pop culture, loving the colors and textures of the different puppets, their crazy hair or colorful fur.

JA: What were your favorite stories growing up?

MM: I grew up in Hopkinton, a small town in New Hampshire. I loved “Goodnight Moon.” I remember C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books and their combination of fantasy and reality. I was a voracious reader, drawn to the more macabre world of Stephen King. My dad read me “Watership Down.” I remember the “Madeline” books. I was terrified by the nuns.

BG: I loved books that were visual, especially a pop-up book called “The Great Menagerie,” published by the Metropolitan Museum in the ’70s. I loved “Danny the Dinosaur” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

JA: What roles do family and tradition play in your lives?

BG: My mom was a homemaker in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I grew up, but she was from Baton Rouge. I spent three weeks every summer with my grandparents in Louisiana. It was all about food and family. In our home, Matt and I keep those traditions alive.

MM: We have been married almost two years, but we’ve been together 20 years. When we first started dating, we discovered that despite being from different parts of the country, we had much in common. Family is important to us both.

JA: Are your families supportive of your new venture?

BG: They’re so proud of us. My dad calls every day.

Matt and Bobby with customers at Dugazon.Jennifer Almquist

JA: Matt, what drew you to fashion as a career?

MM: I studied art history in college. For five years, I worked at a New York fashion photography gallery, Staley-Wise. I worked at Town & Country, then was a fashion director at Details magazine where I stayed most of my career. I became style director at Esquire.

JA: Bobby, what was your experience in advertising and publishing?

BG: I worked in banking for a couple of years using my business degree, but it just wasn’t right. I went to work at Condé Nast as a sales executive for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, AD and The New Yorker.

JA: How did you meet? When did you marry?

MM: It was my first morning at Details. I noticed Bobby in the elevator. We were married in August 2024.

JA: What is your business philosophy?

BG: My business philosophy is that you work hard, you have integrity, you have fun and the money will come. There are no shortcuts in life.

MM: At Dugazon, we sell what we love.

JA: What is your most beautiful, most favorite item in Dugazon?

MM: A photograph by our friend Matt Albiani called “Lost,” shot under a pier in the summer. We had a copy in our house on Fire Island for years.

BG: My favorite item is our candle wall. I just love the way it presents visually. I love the colors.

Dugazon is located at 19 West Main Street, Sharon. For more information and shop hours, visit: dugazonshop.com.

A previous version of this article misstated that Matthew Marden worked at Interview Magazine.