Annabella Boutique Continues to Thrive by Focusing on Customer Service

For those planning to visit Annabella Boutique on Chicago’s Northwest Side, it’s best to have your calendar cleared for a bit. That’s because a visit there is more like visiting a relative than a store run by strangers. Once you walk in it isn’t surprising to be asked if you want coffee and to sit and chat for a bit. After all, according to owner Annabella Vitale, turning clients into friends is something they take pride in. Of course, clients come there looking for the finest in wedding, prom, social and evening wear and accessories and is the best alternative for women who can’t go to Milan or Rome, or don’t want to head downtown to Michigan Avenue or Oak Street.

Owned by Gaspare and Annabella Vitale, the shop is run by Annabella and her daughter Rosa Analitis. In addition, another of Annabella’s daughters – Cathy Vitale, also works in the store. Now in it’s 25th year, the store is the anchor of the strip mall at 3320 N. Harlem Avenue in Chicago. It is currently approximately 4,000 square feet and will grow larger in the spring because of plans to open an adjacent storefront offering men’s tuxedos.

Annabella’s daughter Rosa, who graduated with a degree in fashion design at Columbia College in 2001, virtually grew up in the store, which was first located at Thatcher and Belmont Avenues for its first ten years. According to Rosa, she has worked in the store since she was about eight years old. Of course, she wasn’t designing dresses or traveling to Europe looking for the latest fashions as she does now, but was assisting her mother and helping the customers nonetheless.

Annabella Vitale and her daughter Rosa Analitis

Over the span of twenty-five years Annabella Vitale has seen good economies and bad economies but said the key to success is customer service. That is what enabled the store to grow from 1,000 square feet at its original location to more than four times its original size currently. The spring plan to expand to another storefront will add close to another thousand square feet, although the men’s tuxedo shop may have a separate entrance, Rosa said.

“We have some clients who bought their communion dresses here, then homecoming and prom and even their wedding dresses,” Annabella said. “Our customers become our friends.”

...From the fashion houses of Europe to Harlem Avenue

Friends from near and far, as evidenced by several boxes of letters and pictures from women happy with their purchases. Because of the power of the Internet, Annabella’s Boutique is often the go-to vendor for many designers and manufacturers. So, when a woman sees a dress online by a certain designer, often they are directed to Annabella’s to purchase it.

“We have customers from every state and several other countries,” Rosa said. “They send in their measurements and we take care of them.”

The store is currently having a state-of-the-art website of its own designed. And while it is great to have clients generated by the Internet, Annabella said word-of-mouth always has been their best source of clients.

One thing is for sure, clients from out-of-town can’t quite get the at-home feel of being in the store. This reporter met with Rosa for a second time on a slow morning and declined coffee. A short time later Annabella arrived and asked if I had coffee. When I said that I hadn’t, she looked at me in a motherly way and said “why not?” I was planning on being there for maybe thirty minutes on that visit. Of course, it turned into almost two hours that felt like ten minutes. That’s the effect Annabella has on her clients and what keeps them coming back.

Annabella said the customers appreciate the attention her and Rosa give and the fact that they work as mother and daughter in addition to co-workers.

“Rosa will say make [the dress] shorter and I’ll say make it longer,” Annabella laughed. “I’m more like the mother of the brides. Rosa is more like the bride. We argue sometimes but we get along great.” Rosa concurred, rolling her eyes slightly and adding “you can tell we definitely are family.”

Looking at the thousands of letters from customers and the success of the store over the years, the feeling of family is one Annabella Boutique’s customers share as well.



Annabella Boutique, located at 3320 N. Harlem Avenue in Chicago, can be reached at (773) 889.5513 or email the store by clicking here.

Three pairs of pants...

The other day I was showing a buyer client a house and something interesting happened.

Because it was her second viewing of the house, she had a family friend who remodels homes for a living come along to give her his opinion. The home was very nice and quite a bargain, especially for a first-time buyer like my client.  However, the point of this post is not to discuss that specific home nor the offer we submitted.

While touring the home,  my buyer's friend made a comment that made us laugh initially and has stuck in my mind ever since - causing me to think there was more to it. 

We were in the second of three bedrooms when he looked inside the closet, which I think I can safely say was tiny by most everyone's standard. He opened the door, peered in with a surprised look (since it was so tiny) and quickly said "well, when these homes were built people only had but two pairs of pants. Not they have three." 

We laughed at this and I thought to myself that he was probably right --back in those days people had work clothes and maybe a nice Sunday outfit to wear to Church, and not much in between. I think somehow all of us lost sight of living simply over the years and in many cases, lived to excess.

I've been thinking about that man's little quip and how today's economy has maybe forced us all to reevaluate our lifestyles and just what is important. I hear a lot of people moaning and groaning about the economy and a lot of it is probably justified. However, I think some good can and should come from it --like the fact many of us are saving more and cutting out some of the excess from our lives. I believe things will get better and the real estate market will ultimately prove to be one of the best areas to invest in once again. In the meantime, I think we are all better off by focusing on the good things that have come out of these challenging times. 

I didn't forget you, but perhaps the IRS has!

On December 8 I posted a brief tidbit telling you that the IRS was coming out with a new 5405 form in a few weeks. This is the form that is needed for first-time homebuyers to receive the $8,000 tax credit. Well, as of today, the new form still has not been released. No worries, keep checking this blog --or better yet, subscribe to it. I will post it as soon as it is released!

Below is the IRS' promise and brief explanation:

A new version of Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit, will be available in the next few weeks. A taxpayer who purchases a home after Nov. 6 must use this new version of the form to claim the credit. Likewise, taxpayers claiming the credit on their 2009 returns, no matter when the house was purchased, must also use the new version of Form 5405. Taxpayers who claim the credit on their 2009 tax return will not be able to file electronically but instead will need to file a paper return.

A taxpayer who purchased a home on or before Nov. 6 and chooses to claim the credit on an original or amended 2008 return may continue to use the current version of Form 5405. (You can get the current version of the form by clicking here)

One first-time buyer's experience

For regular readers of this blog you may remember a post I wrote about why it is vital to use a Realtor when purchasing real estate. Below is a video of her talking about her experience working with me. To read the story about the "closing from hell" click here!

Something to keep in mind!

Prices are near rock-bottom right now. For buyers who may be thinking of holding out a bit longer, keep in mind that interest rates are headed up. If prices decline by another 10 percent, but interest rates increase by 1 percentage point, the monthly payment will be the same. So, the time the act is sooner rather than later, especially for first-time buyers!

Buyers - The signs are flashing - The time to act is now!

I've talked to a number of potential home buyers over the last few months who said that they were sitting back, waiting for home prices to drop even lower before making any offers. While I can appreciate that strategy, one thing many must realize is that there will be no official announcement that the market has bottomed-out. Figuring this out is the job of economists, financial and real-estate professionals.

And while there has been no official announcement, the fact that home prices and sales increased in May over April is a huge sign that should spur you into action if you are a buyer.

Prices are still down from a year ago, but the Standard&Poor's/Case-Schiller Home Index report shows that it was the first month-over-month improvement in more than a year. In the Chicago area, prices edged up 1.1 percent from April. Nationally, the average was .5 percent.

Another sign prices are increasing

Just last week the Illinois Association of Realtors issued a report that showed even greater price improvement. The median price of homes sold in the Chicago area rose 5 percent in June from May. That followed a 4.2 percent increase in May over April.

So, if you are a buyer waiting to look at homes again, the time to act is now, especially for investors and first-time buyers.

As for sellers, if you thought you had to wait until next spring to list your home, there is a window open now that you should take advantage of.

As always, I urge you to contact me to find out more specific information about your area, as the picture may be even better where you live than for the overall Chicago area.

So remember, the opportunity to buy has never been better. Act now to take advantage of the situation!