BY TRACEY DUGUAY
Shopping at Bottega Mia can make a woman feel like Cinderella, getting ready for the ball.
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Sonia Toppazzini (above) and her daughter Rita Schutt, opened a store downtown 17 years ago. Three years ago, they opened a shop in Sudbury?s the South End. |
With soft, luxurious fabrics in a variety of styles and colours and an extensive assortment of beautiful accessories to complement any ensemble, customers are guaranteed to find the perfect look for a magical night out on the town.
There are two shops in Sudbury, one in Southridge Mall and the other in the Rainbow Outlet Centre, formerly City Centre.
?We?ve always been known for our evening and formal wear,? says Rita Schutt, who co-owns the store along with her mother, Sonia Toppazzini.
However, Bottega Mia doesn?t only carry evening and formal wear.
?There?s a large selection of casual and sportswear; in fact, there?s more sportswear than evening wear,? Schutt says.
Schutt, who studied fashion merchandising and marketing, confesses she?s always had a passion for clothing. After graduating, she returned to her hometown and made the decision to open the first store with her mother.
?When I returned to Sudbury, we decided to take the plunge and we?re still here,? Schutt says.
Now, 17 years later, due to the growth of the business, Bottega Mia expanded to two locations. The newest store, which opened three years ago, is located in the Southridge Mall. The original store is still located in the Rainbow Outlet Mall, although it moved to a new space in the mall in October. It offers the same wonderful selection of merchandise as the South End store, but at a lower price.
?We couldn?t leave the downtown area,? Schutt explains. ?There are some really great deals in that store.?
Regardless of which store customers visit, they can count on finding the same quality merchandise and exceptional customer service.
?I think one of our strongest selling points is our customer service,? Schutt says.
The sales associates at Bottega Mia don?t just sell clothing and accessories, they strive to foster relationships with the customers so they can get to know their individual tastes and styles.
Schutt says when new items arrive at the store, the sales associates will actually call their loyal customers and say ?wait to you see what we have.?
With designers like Olsen, Simon Chang, Bianca Nygard, Mac & Jac, and Joseph Ribkoff, available in sizes three to 20 (with larger sizes available through special order), Bottega Mia offers a wonderful selection to satisfy the taste of every woman.
