If you’ve spent time chasing waterfowl on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, chances are you’ve heard the name Molly’s Place. Maybe it came up at a boat ramp in the dark, at a local watering hole, or from a guide who simply said, “If you need anything, stop at Molly’s.” No matter the context, it’s a household name for good reason.
What began as a hole-in-the-wall shop has grown into a sporting goods destination with two locations—Kennedyville, MD, and, as of 2025, Easton, MD—offering premium gear, a knowledgeable staff, and a community-first ethic. Molly’s Place is a testament to the power of consistency, hospitality, and showing up in a place that still values face-to-face business.
After a successful sea duck hunt that Molly’s Place set up with Jeff Coats of Pit Boss Waterfowl, and following the close of the famed Waterfowl Festival in Easton, I had the chance to sit down with Nick and Chikki Shajwani to talk through how it all started, and where it’s headed next.
Built from the Ground Up
Nick and Chikki arrived in Kennedyville, MD (pop. 311) from India in 2002 with no background in hunting or rural sporting culture. However, what they did have was a willingness to work and an instinct for service.
In 2007, Nick was working at a small-town hardware store owned by Scott Mason. Winters were slow. Lawn mowers didn’t sell. One day, Nick asked Scott why he essentially disappeared each fall and winter.
“I’m out hunting with my friends,” Scott told him.
That simple answer sparked a bigger idea: if most folks in the area hunted, why wasn’t the store selling hunting gear?
After some convincing, Scott agreed to convert a 900-square-foot mechanic shop in the back of the hardware store into a sporting goods section with Nick and Chikki at the helm. Neither of the Shajwani brothers had grown up around hunting or firearms. Their first major order included high-end Berettas, pallets of Black Cloud, Under Armour, and LaCrosse boots—the gear Scott knew and loved.
The philosophy was simple: carry the best products and stand behind them.
In 2009, Scott purchased the property in Kennedyville that would become the first standalone Molly’s Place. The name came from his black Lab, Molly—his hunting partner and best friend. After she passed, he named the store in her honor. They opened on July 14, 2010, on Scott’s birthday.
A Conversation with Nick & Chikki
Over time, through steady dedication and long hours, Nick and Chikki gradually bought out their partners, expanded into e-commerce, and doubled the company’s sales. It’s a rare American Dream story within the tight-knit hunting industry. To better understand what drives Molly’s Place today, I sat down with the brothers to dig a little deeper.
Getting Started
Split Reed: How did the first Molly’s Place come into existence?
Chikki: It started inside that hardware store. Winters were slow, and Nick saw an opportunity. Scott hunted and believed in buying quality gear. So we took the back of the store and turned it into a sporting goods shop.
Nick: We didn’t know anything about firearms at the time. We learned as we went. But from day one, the mindset was to carry the best product we could and give customers the best service we could.
Two years later, the Kennedyville location opened as a full sporting goods store, restaurant, and convenience mart. As an Eastern Shore native, I’ve been stopping there for years—for hunting and fishing supplies, breakfast sandwiches and subs, and a tank of fuel before heading out. Surrounded by nothing but rural farmland for miles, it is a testament to the store’s quality that it has become a true nexus in the community.
Customer Service
Split Reed: After frequenting the Kennedyville location and now visiting the new Easton location, it’s clear that customer service is paramount. Can you speak on your service philosophy?
Chikki: Simply put, retail is hospitality. Customers choose you with their hard-earned dollars. We want them to feel good about that choice.
Nick: They can buy this gear anywhere. They come here for the personal touch—for the staff. We want people to feel comfortable asking questions. We didn’t grow up around this stuff, so we understand how it feels to be overwhelmed and intimidated at first. We are here to help, whether you’re buying or not.
We’ve all walked into a shop run by a group of good ol’ boys who stare you down as you step inside, leaving you wondering if you’re actually welcome or not. Molly’s Place couldn’t be further from that. Their hospitality-first approach has scaled with the business. Today, Molly’s employs more than 75 people, all contributing to a friendly, helpful shopping experience.
Opening in Easton
Split Reed: How did you decide to open the second location in Easton, MD?
Chikki: We’ve been a part of the Waterfowl Festival for over a decade. We started with two tables of gear. That grew into a mid-sized tent, then into a 5,000-square-foot tent. Every year, customers asked when we were opening a store there.
Nick: Easton always felt like a second home. Once we decided to do it, it took three years to make it happen. It’s still a rural town, though it feels like a city compared to Kennedyville. It’s still the Shore—just a different scale and a different group of customers.
The Easton debut coincided with Maryland’s notorious Waterfowl Festival weekend—a natural fit. The store features a thoughtfully curated selection of gear, laid out in a way that’s both easy to navigate and visually sharp. Now Molly’s has a permanent presence where they had been building roots for years.
Core Values
Split Reed: What guides your decisions as a business?
Nick: We have five pillars that all our decisions stem from: family, quality, flexibility, growth, and resilience. They’re written on the wall in our stores. Family is first. Our associates, customers, and community—they’re all part of that. As immigrants to this country, our family is who we’ve made it.
Chikki: Quality is non-negotiable. Flexibility matters because everything is constantly changing in this industry. Growth isn’t just about the company—we make decisions so our team can grow with us. And resilience…
Nick: We’re just too stupid to quit.
They laugh, but the sentiment runs deeper. As first-generation immigrants who built their business without outside capital, formal retail training, or college degrees, resilience is truly a lived experience and an integral part of their success.
What Is Molly’s Place?
Split Reed: For someone who’s never been, how would you describe it?
Nick: It’s a sporting goods store for everyone. Novice or expert, we want you to feel comfortable here.
Chikki: As a one-liner: Molly’s Place is a family-owned and -operated company serving people with the best quality gear and service so they can enjoy the great outdoors. People buy us with the product. We go along with it.
That mindset shows up in partnerships as well. Molly’s Place is the only independent retailer globally authorized to sell KUIU gear outside of KUIU’s own stores—a relationship built on trust and shared standards. Throughout both locations, the theme is consistent: nothing is on the shelf by accident.
What’s Next?
Split Reed: You now have two storefronts open in Maryland. To the extent you’re willing to share—what’s next? What’s the long-term vision?
Chikki: The goal is to become a national brand. That’s the dream we’re chasing. We don’t want to stay comfortable. Comfort kills. As immigrants, we’ve always been adapting and pushing. We want to see how far we can take this and what we’re truly capable of building.
Nick: It’s also about building a legacy for our kids and creating more opportunities for the people who’ve grown with us.
For Nick and Chikki, expansion isn’t a departure from their roots; it’s an extension of them. The same principles that carried a 900-square-foot shop into a regional destination—family, quality, flexibility, growth, and resilience—are now the blueprint for something bigger. And if history is any indication, they’re just getting started.
Built for the Long Haul
Before the festival started, the weekend began with a hunt in the Atlantic Ocean, offshore of Ocean City, MD—big water, salt spray, and flocks of black & surf scoters. It was the kind of hunt that reminds you why quality gear and the brands that back it really matter.
In an era where outdoor retail increasingly skews towards chasing margins and upping scale despite quality, Molly’s Place remains rooted in something simpler: relationships. Remembering names. Standing by what you sell. And showing up for the long haul.
On the Shore, that still counts for something.
Article by Split Reed Food Editor Kirk Marks, a hunter, photographer, and culinary aficionado based in Kent Island, Maryland. Give him a follow at @kirkymarks.
