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n 1995, my mother (Samila) opened Samila Boutique in Bellevue, WA. Over the years, we have established ourselves as the largest formal dress shop in the entire North West, showcasing over 5,000 dresses year round. We dressed woman for many different types of social occasions including: Prom, Homecoming, Graduations, Gala’s, Military Balls, Mother of the Bride/Groom, informal bridal, cocktail dresses, pageants and much more. We also expanded our collection of sizes from 00-30.I think I was just 15 when my mother opened the boutique, and when I was 17 I quickly became involved with the business and started attending buying trips with her. The buying trips were my favorite thing to do and we traveled all around the world visiting different designer showrooms. You could say I had a gift for selecting and my passion for traveling grew. My mom will tell you many stories but my favorite is: this one time I really wanted to pick up a new collection she didn’t like. I dug in my heels and said we weren’t leaving the showroom unless we took home the collection. She eventually agreed to listen, and when every single piece of the collection sold, I would not let her live it down. I still love gloating!
In 1999, I moved to Florida to complete my education in Business management and marketing. Eventually, I ended up in the corporate world and Finance and worked evenings in a fine dining restaurant. The result…. Corporate training and customer service experience. A decade later, I decided to return to Washington and use the skills I learned in the outside world in conjunction with my gift of styling. My mother and I teamed up and soon, we opened our e-commerce site, solidified our presence in the social media world, moved to triple the size showroom and completely changed our Business model. I had emerged as the operating partner of Samila Boutique.
In May 2014, I was asked by King 5 News to appear on their Live morning show with Connie Jung to discuss Prom 2014 trends. I received such positive feedback from my appearance on the show, that I decided that I wanted to share my knowledge and expertise with the woman of Washington. Following me will mean that you will be in the loop with the latest fashion trends, learn what style compliments you the best and tips on how to always make your dresses look they were custom made. Think of it like having your own personal stylist! I look forward to this fun and fashionable journey with you!
Email me your feedback and any questions you have any time!
