Fall Trends 2011 Spotlight at LIT Boutique

--> --> Sometimes you come up with a good idea. It starts to move, you learn, you grow, you learn some more, and then you realize that your good idea is only ten percent of a really great idea. This is exactly what happened to husband and wife team Nehal Shah and Lisa Chang when they opened LIT Boutique in 2005. Original idea? A brightly lit jewelry shop. Current boutiques? Newbury Street and North End hot spots, spearheading fashion at sensible price points. 

 

Watch as I chat with Shanna from LIT boutique and Shanna's Eye View about hot autumn trends and how to incorporate them into your wardrobe!

See more How To's on the TBF How To page! 
 

--> Lit Boutique first opened six years ago with one store in New Jersey and two in Connecticut. “We had some extra space,” says Shah. “So we decided to introduce some clothing, just from our own styles and tastes." The pair moved their business to Boston, and currently clothing is the fashionable bulk of their boutiques, with jewelry weighing in at about ten percent of the merchandise. “We had dreams of Newbury Street, but thought it was out of reach," says Shah. “Then we found a great location, a supportive landlord, and we really got to know our clientele." Later the boutique expanded to a second location in the North End, a neighborhood that Shah found very different from their Back Bay location just a mile and a half away. “The North End has a younger soul,” he says. “One night, we were open at 11:00 PM – it was the first year of the store, and you don’t want to close for not trying hard enough – and I suddenly realized, this is kind of dangerous, people are pretty smashed outside! I wondered what I was going to do with all my employees in the store. I never thought I'd have that problem, staying open late because there is so much business. I guess those are the problems you want."

The apparel selection is curated by Chang, who travels extensively to keep up with major shows, imminent designers and forthcoming trends…though not every trend makes it to the boutiques. “Something may be a trend,” says Shah, “but isn’t going to work for Boston. Boston has it’s own tempo. And sometimes we vary twenty degrees in temperature from morning to afternoon”! LIT strives to stock its boutiques with the next hot designers, which doesn’t always lead to the brand consistency seen in other shops. “Maybe we carried it last year, but we build our collections for the season,” says Shah. “We constantly look for new and cool fashions and try to match them up to Boston”. A keen eye on what Bostonians need is integral to LIT’s success, both as a business, and in the personal lives of the owners. “We are in the stores every day, so we really see our customers,” says Shah. “…even down to the time of year, we know what event they’re going to - most likely we’ll be at that event, also! We play here, too, this is our city”!    
 

Lit Boutique can be found in Boston at 223 Newbury Street in the Back Bay or 236 Hanover in the North End. You can also shop online at www.LitBoutique.com.          

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