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About Nyack, NY
The Village of Nyack is a small town with a cosmopolitan flavor. Nyack, a popular destination for antique hunters, is also well known for its eclectic shopping enviroment that includes art galleries, clothing and accessoriy boutiques, home furnishings and a variety of unique specialty shops.
About Maria Luisa Boutique 14 South Broadway, Nyack NY
Established 1987 Maria Luisa, in Nyack, NY, has become a destination of choice in this uncommon riverfront community. Maria Luisa is a unique boutique where you’ll find “ONE OF A KIND” handmade items by Maria and other local artists, a unique collection of women’s clothing and accessories, beautiful jewelry, stylish and ultra comfortable shoes, exceptional infant clothing and gift items, sweet smelling bath & body products and more.
Become a “Preferred Customer”. Benefits include “new arrivals” notices, pre-sale and seasonal discount coupon specials via an e-newsletter. To gain “Preferred” status, customers join Maria Luisa’s mailing list by logging on to www.marialuisaboutique.com/newsletter .
Are you new to the neighborhood? Stop by for your Welcome Gift. Look for ‘Gift w/Purchase’ promotion offers that take place four times a year. Maria Luisa also offers registries for Weddings and Baby gifts in addition to a unique ‘Wish List Registry’ and a flexible ‘Lay-A-Way Plan’. Personal service is always available.
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 About Maria Luisa Whittingham - A Conversation with Maria Luisa
Most of us know the chic, friendly, and down-to-earth owner of Maria Luisa. And most of us would probably like to sit down for a cup of coffee with her and find out just how this wonderful shop got started, how she keeps her shelves stocked with such useful, beautiful, and wearable things, and where the shop is going next. So here’s a virtual coffee-klatsch with Maria herself.
Q. How would you describe what your store is all about?
A. Well, beauty is important to me, but beauty doesn’t have to mean more than you can afford – nor does quality. I try to stay away from trends and fads, and focus on the forward-looking things that still have staying power.
Q. Speaking of staying power, you’ve been in business for 20 years now! Why is your store so successful?
A. I wonder myself, sometimes, but it really comes down to a few simple things. Of course, there’s the product. And part of it is endurance – sticking with it through thick and thin. But more than that, it’s the people—the people who work here, the people who shop here. We’ve become a family.
Q. Do you know all your customers? They all seem to know you!
A. They know they’re welcome here. People feel comfortable in the store and stay a while. It’s a warm environment. There is a lot of loyalty, but people don’t and shouldn’t just shop out of loyalty alone. We have many customers who have been shopping with us for twenty years. They come back to see what’s new, and I try to always anticipate what the customers will want. And really, the community tells you what they like.
Q. Where did you grow up, and what brought you to Nyack?
A. I was born in the South Bronx, and at age three, I moved back to Puerto Rico. When I was ten, we moved back to the States, and I lived mostly in Queens, and then in East New York. That’s how I got my street smarts!
Q. So what did you do with those street smarts? They don’t necessarily translate to a move to Rockland County.
A. No, that came a little later, when I was pregnant with my son. After college (I went to FIT and majored in Design) I was living in Brooklyn Heights, and working in the garment industry. I’m so glad now that I got all this experience in production. I worked for a company that did garment specs for production, and I met so many great people. We were doing samples for Putumayo, from India, and I still carry the line in my store. Another client was AK Studio (Anne Klein, that is). There was this great young designer, Narciso Rodriguez –
Q. The guy who did Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding dress?
A. Same one. He’s one of the nicest guys. We got to be friends when he was working for AK Studio, and then went on to the CK Collection (Calvin Klein), and then for TSE. He was so supportive when I started the business – I carried his hand-painted T-shirts as some of my first merchandise.
Q. How did you open the shop?
A. I started out in the basement of the YMCA building, and then moved up to the ground floor, where Kashan Rug Gallery is now. I was selling original designs and accessories. My first clothing lines were Putumayo and April Cornell. Three years later, I moved into this space. Then when the mall came in, carrying basics didn’t make sense, and I made the move to specialty items. It’s working!
Q. What does the future hold for Maria Luisa—the store and the woman?
A. No retirement plans yet! And I wouldn’t want to. I have such great customers and employees. So I’ll be around a bit longer.
Giving Back
Being a business owner in Nyack means more than just tending the shop. As Maria Luisa shows, it means tending the community as well. She works together with other merchants on her block to maintain each other’s business health, frequently referring customers to neighboring stores. Maria also brings her drive and business smarts to many local organizations, serving on the boards of the Nyack Center, the Arts, Crafts, and Antique Dealers Association, and the NAACP. And two of our most crucial local organizations are lucky to have Maria serve as co-chair: the Rockland Coalition for Undoing Racism, and the Friends of the Nyacks, many of whose events she has generously sponsored. Recently, Maria has been a sponsor of events at Riverspace as well, which thrives thanks to support from local businesses like hers. “The diversity of Nyack is one reason I love living here,” Maria says. So she’s doing her part to keep us aware, strong, and thriving as a community.
In March 2008 Maria Luisa Whittingham was horored as A Woman of Vision and Leadership for her community involvement.
ML Whittingham is a member of the current 2009-2010 LEADERSHIP ROCKLAND CLASS
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