{"id":235580,"date":"2012-06-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-04T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/shopaholics-boutique-gets-a-second-look-from-passersby-in-little-italy\/"},"modified":"2012-06-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-04T07:00:00","slug":"shopaholics-boutique-gets-a-second-look-from-passersby-in-little-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/shopaholics-boutique-gets-a-second-look-from-passersby-in-little-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopaholics Boutique recibe una segunda mirada de los transe\u00fantes en Little Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Cynthia Robertson | Downtown News<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Shopaholics
Ellie Lotfi shown at her new Little Italy boutique (Photo by Cynthia Robertson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>When people walk by Shopaholics Boutique, they might do a double-take; if not for the live mannequins that sometimes grace the sidewalk, then for the one-of-a-kind dress shop that it is. The clothing and accessories offer attention-getting glamour for the fashion-conscious woman.<\/p>\n

Owner Ellie Lotfi, who first opened the shop in Little Italy just two months ago, has a knack for drawing attention. She knows what her clients like and makes it work for them without the hefty price tag. Lotfi fills the elegant, light-imbued shop with racks of trendy women\u2019s wear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sort of retro-80s,\u201d she said. \u201cThink low-hem with high-hem, big chunky earrings, asymmetrical cuts, and bright neon colors. It\u2019s hard to go wrong with this look, since you can mix and match.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janelle Rivera, who works next door at RFA Financial Center, is a loyal customer of Shopaholics. \u201cI\u2019m always stopping in. I bought this blouse here,\u201d she said, modeling a sheer chiffon top with an embellished neckline.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m interested in this purse,\u201d Rivera said, holding up a lace-covered clutch with a snap-top made of big flashy rings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a knuckle-box purse,\u201d Lotfi said. \u201cThese purses are really big now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers from all over the United States and even Greece look to Lotfi for her fashion statements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so excited that so many of the looks for spring and summer are inspired from the 80s era,\u201d Lotfi said. She recalls her obsession with fashion began when she was a young girl shopping with her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was very simple and I was always over the top,\u201d said Lotfi, who grew up in Houston, Texas. \u201cI remember her telling my father that she wanted me to concentrate on my studies, but the fashion gene was in me and there was no escaping it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shopaholics
Lotfi says that shorts sets like these are popular in bright colors. (Photo by Cynthia Robertson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time Lotfi was in her early 20s, she was already filled with the vision of having her own boutique, but was afraid to take the leap. She also felt a duty to follow her parents\u2019 dream for her to become a doctor or lawyer. She did graduate pre-med, went on to law school, but knew it really was not her style. She did event planning for a while and even had her own floral business, but eventually, she had to follow the call of fashion.<\/p>\n

Initially, she started her own swimsuit company called The Bling Bikinis by The Bling Collections, a business she still works on the side.\u00a0 \u201cI have visions of The Shopaholics Boutique hopefully expanding and being all over the US and am looking to open my next location in Houston,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

When she first moved to Little Italy in 2004, Lotfi loved the neighborhood for its eateries. \u201cBut there was nothing else to do,\u201d she said, remembering there had been maybe two boutiques, but both located far away from the neighborhood\u2019s main area.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Lotfi opened up a traveling boutique. She staged shopping events in different venues, but soon tired of the constant loading and unloading for each event. Last year, she ran across the shop\u2019s current location on a fluke, and the boutique\u2019s name came to her easily, because she feels all women have some sort of shopping fixation.<\/p>\n

The live mannequins will appear once in a while at the shop’s special events. She brainstormed with Desi V, a hair stylist friend from nearby Inga Bezio Salon, on ways to team up with Art Walk. Desi V suggested the live mannequins, which were a hit with the crowds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shop is something completely out of the ordinary. It adds a little spark to Little Italy,\u201d Rivera said.<\/p>\n

The boutique hosts monthly events and can even be rented for private events, like a client\u2019s special afternoon or an evening with friends. The parties come complete with catering, cocktails, and clothing.<\/p>\n

The next big fashion event Lotfi is ramping up for is the Del Mar Races. She plans to have accessories and outfits for women who want to feel like a million bucks at the racetrack.<\/p>\n

A newlywed of just eight months, Lotfi sees this year as one being dedicated to the business. \u201cBut we are looking forward to starting our own family of shopaholics in the near future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Shopaholics Boutique is located at 1506 India Street in Little Italy. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Phone 619-339-6818.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Cynthia Robertson | Downtown News When people walk by Shopaholics Boutique, they might do a double-take; if not for the live mannequins that sometimes grace the sidewalk, then for the one-of-a-kind dress shop that it is. The clothing and accessories offer attention-getting glamour for the fashion-conscious woman. Owner Ellie Lotfi, who first opened the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":749,"featured_media":235581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Shopaholics Boutique gets a second look from passersby in Little Italy","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/749"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}