Maryland Women's Boutique to close its Doors after 11 1/2 years

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Submitted by PEEKer on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 4:32pm

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This just in from Gail Kandel, owner, proprietress of VASARRI Women's Clothing Boutique of Pikesville. Known best for prom dresses, trunk shows like Layfayette 148, Gallant, Teri Jon, Carole Peretz and many more. A true boutique for ALL women's outfitting needs. Vasarri became a place where clients became friends and where the staff like Karen, Lori and April knew your name. After a great run since 1999, VASARRI will be closing its doors.

An emotional account was exclusively sent to CITYPEEK Patti, a longstanding 3rd generation of VASARRI shoppers.We felt it best not to copy and paste but to send you the news directly.

"Dreams don’t always happen at night. Perhaps during the day they are called visions. I believe in fate, but have always doubted and questioned that belief. Not any more. In 1998 I was retiring from a 15 year old shoe business that I felt had run its course, trying to figure out the rest of my life. I had failed housekeeping years earlier, so that was not an option. Stay home and do what? I love to read and cook, but all day every day, that was not a viable option.

Out early one morning, curiosity stopped me when I saw the old Jon Sims store sitting quietly abandoned. I had to peek in the window to visit yesterday’s history. It had been empty for years or had an assortment of merchants who couldn’t make a go of it. Rita St.Clair designed the space decades earlier and it had a magical draw for me... This was the era of aspirational stores like Prada, Gucci…..hard, clean, antiseptic. They were not my comfort level, but the gorgeous space created so many years ago would be my dream of the perfect environment to shop and laugh in the world we would want to live in.

Then I waited for someone to open my dream store. Month passed and there was no activity. I just kept checking and every day a new vision of what I would put in there and how I would decorate it….I could hear the laughter, see the smiles of the women who had found something perfect. How long would I have to wait….it could be forever. So I picked up the phone, called the leasing agent ....

The lease was signed in October 1998. That’s when the story really begins. A trip to visit my Aunt in Florida and we went to a furniture importer where I found all the gilded, marble, eclectic furniture that I had envisioned. Time in Italy had put me on a path to capture a name and ghostly presence to guide and guard our vision. Time in New York brought the special clothing that filled my vision.

I opened Vasarri in January of 1999 and found exactly what I want to do “when I grow up”. I kept having these doors of opportunity appear before me and taking off through them with new ideas. Each one scared me, but the vision pushed, the ghost guided and I went for it. Along the way I met the most amazing people....They bought worthy causes that touched my heart and I could use Vasarri as the vehicle to contribute to their cause. We got to dress media stars, (CITYPEEK Patti, Pascale Lemaire, Maggie Farley were some of many), Gala Chairs, and even the Housewives of D.C. How cool to come to the end a career bringing Washington to shop in Baltimore and being recognized with national exposure."

Before the doors are closed for the last time, Gail tells us there will be a GOB also known as a Going Out of Business Sale with deals galore on cocktail gowns and prom dresses. Also there will be lighting and fixtures for sale. Gail and VASARRI team, we will follow, wherever you lead.

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