Business of the Week: Gioia Boutique

706 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo

(415) 454-7874; facebook.com/gioiaboutique 

What do they offer?  

Gioia Boutique offers lifestyle wear for women – comfortable clothes to don over and over again. 

“We have something for everyone,” said owner Joy Sassoon. “The price point ranges from inexpensive ($18 for a bra) to moderate ($400 for a cashmere winter item).”

The selection includes dresses, camis, jackets, coats, slacks, tops, and sweaters. If you are seeking accessories, you will find handbags, belts, scarves, shoes, sandals, boots and jewelry. Many of the fabrics are organic and great for travel. All feel good next to the skin. 

“Eighty percent of the items in the store are USA-made. Anything I have that is not made in America is fair trade,” said Sassoon. “Even the popular feather earrings are crafted from humanely gathered feathers.”  

Sassoon visits the Los Angeles and San Francisco marts, and is called on by manufacturer’s representatives. She talks to many of the designers personally about her customers' preferences. Some of the names carried in the store are Prairie Underground, Green Dragon, Language, Donna M. and Laila Jayde, both from Los Angeles, and Hard Tail, a collection which includes yoga wear. 

During the summer months, you will see bold colors and wonderful prints. One of the cutest dresses by Luna Luz does double duty. It's a halter top with an attached skirt. On the inside are drawstrings so the fabric can be gathered high to pouf above the knees or left undone so the skirt unfurls to hang longer.      

Who are they? 

Owner Joy Sassoon grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Washington High School. She studied ballet, earned a degree in Fine Arts, and traveled all over the world as a professional wind surfer. While living on the island of Maui for eight years, she started designing swim suits because, with her small frame, the shoulder straps kept falling down. Because of her art background, she hand-painted them. When everyone asked where she got her unique suits, she started a business. 

Moving to Marin, she worked in several boutiques before opening Gioia. She is now into mountain biking and yoga, so she knows how important comfortable clothing is to our casual county lifestyle, but she likes feminine touches as well. 

Sassoon has an outgoing personality. Most customers walk in and give her a hug. She seems to know what is already in their closets and what they might need for the current season. Sassoon lives with her husband in Fairfax. “He keeps me positive,” she said. A wonderful part-time staff tends the store on her days off.   

How long have they been there? 

The Italian word “gioia” translates to the first name of the owner, Joy. She opened the store in 2002 on San Anselmo Avenue. 

Why are they business of the week? 

“A month or so ago,” said Sassoon, “I saw a PBS documentary on sweat shops in China. It featured a denim factory making many of the designer brand jeans we all love.  I was very troubled. The young girls worked eighteen hours a day, with no breaks. Some were so tired they literally had clothespins clipped on to keep their eyes open. I felt the way the employees were being treated was so wrong, in that very moment, I changed my entire thinking about the store. Now I buy only ‘Made in America’ items, in fact many are locally made, or fair trade items. I just put all of my jeans on sale, because I don’t want to carry them anymore.”  

The jewelry she carries is extremely local. “I get it in Los Angeles, Tiburon, even from artists here in San Anselmo.” 

For schools and organizations, Sassoon has “Give Back Parties,” which are shopping parties where a host or hostess brings in five to ten guests and the store gives back ten percent of the proceeds to the cause. Typically, these private events take place in the evening. Sassoon provides wine and snacks.  

Sassoon is insightful about being a store owner during difficult times. “We need to bring our economy home," she said. “It doesn’t seem fair for store keepers to complain about not having enough business unless they, and all of us, are prepared to shop locally.”