Queen of Hearts: Offering the Perfect Fit

For full-figured women, finding the ideal dress or outfit for that special occasion can be a major challenge. 

But that's where Queen of Hearts comes in.

Helping plus-sized ladies find the perfect look since 1993, the Merrick boutique has a full line of formal wear.

Owner Julie Marchesella says that in the beginning, she offered a little of everything. 

"It was like a little department store for plus-sized ladies," she says. 

The boutique offered blouses, pants, jackets, lingerie, swim wear, casual and career wear.

"Over the years, the store evolved," Marchesella explains. "I saw a niche market not being filled and that was full figured formal wear."  

Today, the Queen of Hearts sells special occasion dresses, gowns and outfits off the rack and special orders by color, size and custom alterations.

"We offer sizes 14 to 32 in stock.  We do custom sizing, no matter what size plus size we can accommodate," Marchesella says.

The Queen of Hearts also offers a selection of accessories, jewelry and handbags.  

A Notable Merrick Figure

Marchesella is a familiar face in Merrick. 

She's been a resident for 25 years and all four of her children attended Merrick schools. Marchesella has been recognized by the community and organizations garnering awards such as Merrick Merchant of the Year, Small Business Owner of the Year, and Merrick Woman of the Year.

In addition, Marchesella is actively involved with the Merrick Chamber of Commerce. She was a past president for six years, and was the coordinator of the Merrick Fall Festival from 1995 through 2004.  On top of all of that, Marchesella was also a co-originator of the Spring Kids Fest.

To be held this year on April 24th and 25th, Kids Fest supports the Chamber's scholarship fund.  That award is near and dear to Marchesella's heart, as it is given to a learning challenged graduate from each of the three high schools. 

Marchesella recounts the challenges of her own learning challenged son, now 31 and a successful professional.  She wanted to recognize the efforts of students with special needs.

"I remember the first year we awarded this scholarship," she says.  "The recipient's mother called me to thank us and to say how she had never seen her son so proud and beaming.  He had been telling everyone proudly that he won a scholarship."

Wanting to Do Better

What inspired the Queen of Hearts?

Marchesella recounts: "I was always a plus size lady and a plus size girl. When I was growing up I used to shop in this one place in Brooklyn called 'Chubette Fashions.' It was horrible.  They had very limited selections -- one style pants and one style shirt and they were available only in a few color choices.  For Communions and Confirmations they had one basic dress for both just made into a larger size. I grew up wanting to do better." 

Offering Unique Service

Marchesella has been doing better for plus sized ladies for 17 years now. 

The shop's focus is on the mother of the bride and groom. Marchesella asserts that the mother of the groom is equally important as the mother of the bride and they should complement each other. The boutique also caters to grandmothers and guests as well.

Customers looking for a special occasion dress for an event like a wedding are advised to come in to the boutique six months in advance at minimum.  For custom design dresses, like different choice of lace styles, fabrics, etc., Marchesella recommends nine months in advance.  Most customers make appointments, but walk-ins are always welcome.

"We try to keep ourselves very unique," Marchesella says.  "The fact that every style we have is here to try on in plus size is a key factor. I've always felt that for every 'body' there's a style dress that will flatter them."