The owners of downtown Grand Rapids'
Gina's Boutique and East Grand Rapids'
Rosa's Closet recently announced their plan to open a new boutique that offers designer fashions tailored specifically for average-sized women.
Gina VanGessel, 29, and Rosa Piccione, 36, plan an October opening for the new joint venture, Lia Rose, 40 Monroe Center. The boutique, named after the owners' moms, will offer women's fashions in sizes 2 to 16.
"I've been hearing in my store: 'This is so cute, but I can't fit into it,'" VanGessel says. "We want women to be able to wear fashion-forward clothing, whether they're a size 2 or a size 16."
VanGessel says most boutiques cater to a "junior fit," but Lia Rose will carry "missy fit."
"It's not about a certain age or certain style of woman; it's about the fit,' she says.
The store shares an interior wall with Gina's Boutique, which is also located at 40 Monroe Center. Customers can enter through sidewalk entrance and, once inside, can move from one store to the other through a new interior archway that connects the shops.
Lia Rose will have clean modern décor accented in green, pink and yellow to showcase the designer lines: Antilia (fashion tops), Fever (sweaters), Essex (dresses), Fashqué (Italian jeans, fashion tops) and Brighton Jewelry. The shop will offer handbags and scarves, as well.
Like Gina's and Rosa's, Lia Rose will host private events and parties for customers.
A sneak peek at the store's featured fashions, as well as styles from Gina's and Rosa's is planned from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. September 25, during the opening weekend of
ArtPrize at
ACTIVESITE, an ArtPrize venue also located at 40 Monroe Center.
Source: Gina VanGessel, Lia Rose and Gina's Boutique; Kim Bode, 834 Design & Marketing
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.