Bling Boutique Owner, Honored by Town, Looks Forward to Holiday Shopping Season

When Nadine Aniello-Kubiak was a girl, she not only loved to play dress up, she also styled her friends' clothing, eventually turning that passion and an entrepreneurial drive into a successful clothing shop in Braintree.

Bling Boutique opened in 2010 and was quickly recognized for its mix of designer clothing and reasonable prices. Along with business accomplishments, including South Shore Readers Choice awards and an international fashion website feature, Aniello-Kubiak has been honored for her work raising money for a variety of causes, including Toys for Tots and Kyleigh's Cure.

And on Tuesday night, on the cusp of the holiday shopping season, Aniello-Kubiak was recognized again, this time by members of the Town Council, who applauded her volunteerism and business success.

"As a small business owner, I truly appreciate the effort you've put into your business," said President Charles Koros, who owns Braintree Cleaners.

Aniello-Kubiak earned a degree in fashion merchandising and business, and worked in the furniture industry before following in her father's footsteps as an independent business owner and launching her own store on Washington Street.

She selects all of the clothing and accessories for Bling, helps style customers and also works on marketing. This year, her third holiday season, Aniello-Kubiak is ramping up the Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday deals.

Bling Boutique will open early on Friday, at 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m., and close at hour later at 9 p.m. Customers shopping that day will receive 30 percent off their entire purchase.

Aniello-Kubiak said she is also working on deals for the next day, celebrated as Small Business Saturday, and for Cyber Monday. She recently launched a website allowing customers to buy directly online or virtually browse before coming to the store.

A dip in shopping around election time will likely disappear now that the "official" shopping season is arriving, Aniello-Kubiak said. She believes that the increasing attention on Black Friday has also caused customers to hold off somewhat on shopping until the big day.

"It's more hyped than ever," she said. "We're usually mobbed on Black Friday."