Absecon Residents Get Introduced to Serenity Boutique's Unique Fashions

“You’re not leaving here until you find something,” Mary Santos told Terra Roman Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 30. It would appear Santos was right. Roman, a working mother of three who lives in Absecon, walked into Serenity Boutique for the first time on Wednesday. One of her friends had told her about the shop, which opened at 131 New Jersey Avenue in Absecon on Nov. 19 after spending about two and a half years in Historic Smithville. In fact, Roman heard about it when it was still in Smithville, but never had the opportunity to make it out to the shop until it moved practically into her backyard. “My friends and I have been really excited to get some good shopping in this area,” Roman said. “We’ve been waiting for something that’s close, and not in Linwood or Northfield. “It offers trendy styles at a good price, compared to other boutiques.” “We have dresses for $59, sweaters for $49,” the 32-year-old Santos said. “We don’t have anything over $100. We try not to sell expensive things because people don’t want to spend money unless it’s on a brand name.” While Santos isn’t selling brand new merchandise, what she does sell is unique. Extremely unique. “You won’t find our clothes in other places, and the most we order of one thing is three pieces,” Santos said. “If you see something, if you don’t tell me you want it, if you come back later, it’s not going to be here.”  Santos almost never reorders clothes, either, so customers generally have one shot at picking something up. She will make an exception if someone specifically requests something. It’s a formula that has kept customers coming back, from all over. Santos said she has regular customers who come from Philadelphia, Connecticut, Virginia, and even New York City. “I had a customer who would go from New York City to Smithville specifically to shop at my store and then go back,” Santos said. It was the opposite when Santos first moved to New Jersey. Santos grew up in New York City, earned her Associate’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale before moving to New Jersey with her husband, Marvin, 34, to start a family. “New York City is a melting pot. You see all the latest trends and everybody has their own style,” Santos said. Upon moving to New Jersey, Santos discovered things were a little different in the Garden State. “I used to have to go to New York City to shop,” Santos said. So she opened her own store in April of 2009. “We get all the trendy stuff,” Santos said. “We get all the stuff from L.A., and some stuff from New York City.” Santos said it took her between three and four months to begin to establish a customer base, but residents of Galloway, Absecon and the surrounding areas became addicted to what she was selling. The tourist traffic that finds its way through Smithville on an annual basis also helped Santos establish her business. Santos said she enjoyed her time in Smithville, but her new location affords her a spot along a street in a town. She is able to put up more racks in her new location, and she’s looking to expand her inventory, adding different sizes and more variety. She will also have clothes for children available in time for the holiday season. Customers familiar with her Smithville store will have no trouble recognizing the clothes in her new location, though, as she still sells the same brands and styles she always did. Some items that didn’t sell well in Smithville do better in her new location, including business attire. “People going into my old store weren’t looking for business clothes, but we have a lot of business people (along New Jersey Avenue),” Santos said. Santos rents out the front portion of the store, which used to be a flower shop, but would like to expand to the back portion and add a formal wear section, as business improves. “There are a lot of places for weddings around here, but not many bridal shops,” Santos said. With places such as the Seaview and the Carriage House nearby, as well as its close proximity to Atlantic City, Santos feels formal wear will do well. First, however, she has to build up her customer base at her new location. Wednesday produced no shortage of traffic through her new location, thanks to the form of advertising that has always worked best for her: word of mouth. People who have always shopped there tell their friends, and those friends come to the store. She’s also spending time telling people she moved from Smithville. “I had one customer who lives in Absecon go to Smithville and get scared that we closed,” Santos said. “Then she went to our Facebook page and saw that we were right next door.” At least one new customer has promised she will spread the word. “I’ll definitely tell my friends about this place,” Roman said, as she looked through the clothes. She was enjoying herself, and she wasn’t going to leave until she found something to take home. Serenity Boutique is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. during the holiday season. After the holidays she will be closed on Sunday and Monday. For more information, visit the Serenity Boutique Facebook Page.