Today we are celebrating Megan Sweeney as our Entrepreneur of the Day! Megan founded the clothing brand Places Please.
For Megan Sweeney, founder and CEO of Places Please, theater wasn’t just a childhood hobby, it was a lifeline. Her earliest memories include long car rides filled with the voices of Broadway icons. Singing along to cast recordings of Hairspray and The Phantom of the Opera wasn’t just entertainment, it was the start of a lifelong passion. As Megan grew up, her love for the stage flourished alongside a deep curiosity for fashion and personal style. She saw fashion as another kind of storytelling, one that could be as bold and expressive as the characters she admired on stage.
Inspired by colorful pop culture icons like Raven Baxter, Megan imagined a future where she would create designs that made people feel seen, joyful, and creative. This vision eventually led her to New York City and Parsons School of Design, where she refined her skills and began building a path in the fashion industry. But even surrounded by high fashion, she couldn’t shake her connection to theater. While attending school and going to more and more shows, she realized how vital theater was to her identity; and how underwhelming its merchandise offerings were. The available merch often felt uninspired, dominated by simple logos or show titles with little style or personality.
That gap in the market lit a creative spark. In 2017, during a career transition and craving a creative outlet, Megan took a leap of faith and founded Places Please. With no roadmap and limited resources, she built the brand from the ground up, combining her fashion expertise with her lifelong love of musicals. The goal was simple: create theater-inspired fashion that fans would actually want to wear onstage, offstage, and everywhere in between.
Since launching, Places Please has become a favorite among theater lovers looking for fresh, fun, and fashionable Broadway-themed clothing. Every item Megan designs is infused with nostalgia, humor, and a deep understanding of what it means to be a theater kid. Instead of generic logos, her designs celebrate the emotional connection fans have to the shows they love. From beloved classics to lesser-known favorites, the brand covers a wide range of references that resonate deeply with its audience.
Megan runs every part of the business herself. From designing new collections and managing marketing efforts to styling photo shoots and packing orders, she has her hands in every detail. Her fiancé even learned photography to help capture the spirit of the brand in their visuals, often taking product photos in freezing weather or during breaks from his day job. This hands-on, DIY spirit has helped cultivate a strong, passionate community that supports and celebrates every launch.
At the heart of Places Please is a commitment to storytelling. The brand speaks directly to fans who remember every lyric of a long-closed show, who get chills at the overture, and who still cry at curtain call. It’s for the theater lovers who want their clothing to reflect the joy and drama of the stage. What started as a small online shop has grown into a recognizable presence in the theater merch world, with Megan collaborating on custom designs for performers and productions while continuing to dream bigger.
When asked if she had any advice for women who wanted to start their own business, Megan said, “If you want something, go for it. Be bold. Be brave. Don’t be afraid to speak up, ask for what you want, and take up space (preferably in something fabulous). The world needs your ideas, your sparkle, your color.
Take chances, trust your talent, and never underestimate the magic of what you bring to the table — especially if it makes life a little more fun, a little more joyful, and a lot more you.”
Looking ahead, Megan’s ultimate goal is to see her merchandise sold inside Broadway theaters—the very spaces that inspired her journey. With each new collection, she continues to close the gap between fashion and theater, creating something truly unique in the process. Places Please doesn’t just sell clothes, it celebrates a culture, a community, and a shared love for the stage.
For anyone who has ever belted a show tune in the shower, lined up for rush tickets, or felt most alive under the spotlight, Places Please offers a way to wear your passion out loud. It’s Broadway-inspired fashion that finally takes center stage.
