Lights! Camera! Fashion! Marisa Jill's Boutique Opens in Buford April 17

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Marisa Jill’s Boutique will open April 17 on Buford’s historic Main Street where shoppers will find the latest clothing and jewelry designs in an atmosphere reminiscent of Fashion Week.

During the evening grand opening celebration from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 17, guests will be greeted by a red carpet welcome with a Hollywood-style backdrop, photographers, and $20 gift cards to the first 50 customers. They’ll also find additional discounts of up to 70 percent, refreshments and other surprise offers. The specials will continue on Saturday as well.

Owned by self-described “serial entrepreneur” and Sugar Hill resident Marisa Humphrey, the boutique is a realization of her dream to create a shopping oasis where anyone of any age “can feel like a fashion star.” In addition, the boutique features custom jewelry – including many pieces created by Humphrey herself – as well as the store’s signature wall of more than 10,000 hair bows in every shade imaginable, each priced at $2. Virtually every item in the boutique retails for under $40.

“We’ve created a trendy destination boutique for girls of all ages,” said Humphrey. “Our customers will find the latest fashions for significantly less than anywhere else in a setting designed to make each shopper feel beautiful.”

Located inside the 114-year-old Shadburn Bank building, Marisa Jill’s 3,000-square-foot interior combines custom-created vintage French décor with the remaining historic features of the bank, including the former vault, which now opens to the store’s changing rooms. Customers become fashion celebrities as they are greeted with a drink served in a champagne flute and provided with personalized service by the boutique’s 10 employees as they browse designs for women of all ages, shapes and sizes.

Customers also can register on www.modelformarisa.com and come in for a free fashion photo shoot inside the boutique’s studio, leaving with digital images and, perhaps, a newfound air of self-confidence.

“When these girls come in and get in front of a camera with a photographer who encourages them, that’s what feeds me,” said Humphrey. “They may have been shy or unsure when they came in but they just glow afterward.” A fashion board of local teens will be an integral part of the boutique moving forward, she said.

Humphrey’s own love of fashion began at a young age and was fueled by the rich cultures and colors she encountered during her travels to more than 20 countries. Elements of her experiences have made their way into the design and décor of her new Buford boutique as well as her jewelry line, Marisa Jill Design, with each custom piece telling a story of a place she’s visited or memories from her past.

Marisa Jill’s is the latest expression of Humphrey’s entrepreneurial spirit. She and her husband, Jeffrey, also own The Old Jefferson Cotton Mill, a 100-year-old factory turned retail destination location in Jefferson, Ga. The mill houses other retail tenants and their two-acre furniture store, Real Deals on Furniture. The Humphreys also co-founded and are partners in the 80-plus-store “Real Deals on Home Décor” franchise in the United States and Canada with Humphrey’s sister and brother-in-law.

The Humpheys began importing furniture and home décor in 2004 with their company Jackson & Harrison Imports. In addition to her jewelry line, Marisa is co-founder and CEO of a home décor factory in Shanghai, China. Marisa studied at Moscow State University in Russia, and in Chihuahua, Mexico, while attending Brigham Young University where she received her degree from the College of Fine Arts & Communications.

Marisa Jill’s will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/marisajills or on Instagram at @marisajills.

— From submitted article