In a time where many stores were struggling to continue business as usual, Bella Ragazza Boutique found a way to grow its presence and its following.
Owner Natasha Stanley said that one way they saw their customers grow was with their pivot to online shopping and interactions. Stanley hosted weekly Facebook Live videos, during which customers were able to interact with both the workers and the clothes in the store.
“It’s so much fun because we’re really shopping with them and we get to really engage, even though they’re sitting at home on their phones or at work on their computers,” Stanley said.
Shortly before the pandemic began, Stanley said they started focusing on the online storefront more and started pushing deliveries, drop-offs and pick-ups. Because of the physical distancing people had to incorporate, she saw a rise in the number of orders she was getting — not only locally, but from other parts of the nation.
Incorporating the local feel of the boutique on a larger scale was something that she found her customers enjoyed. As of recent, she began noticing that they may have first-time customers from other states, including Colorado and Florida specifically.
On Sept. 3, the Boutique announced that they will be moving to a new location in Wesleyan Park Plaza, previously held by the Hallmark store (2736 Frederica Street). The former Hallmark space will be split in two, with Bella Ragazza taking the left side.
In this location, Stanley is excited to not only have more space for inventory but to combine the feel of the website look with the physical store.
“We are really excited just the amount of efficiency that we’re gonna see in the things that we do. We really needed a space for our photos and to do our lives,” Stanley said. “We are growing our website so much so we needed an area for that.”
