Whenever you’re ever in need of some trendy clothes and accessories to spice up your wardrobe, look no further… Ciao Bella has it all. The store has been a boutique staple with two locations, one in Madison since 2005 and in Fairfield since 2018. Ciao Bella offers a variety of items such as dresses and sweaters, and even jewelry such as statement earrings and necklaces! I always discover some great fashion finds when I go, so I decided to visit the store and ask co-owner Janice Briguglio some questions to learn more about her business.
What inspired you to open up Ciao Bella?
My sister and I were on a trip to Italy and were inspired to start a business that imported clothes from there. I had another career and my sister is a mom of four and we didn’t know how we could do it. I was invited to a house party and thought that’s it, we’ll do small events and run it as a business like that. It got out of control with our busy lives, so we decided to open up a storefront bringing fashion and accessories for pre-teens and up. Since then, it has evolved from what we originally started out as to what it is today.
What’s something unique about your business?
My sister and I started it from scratch. There’s not too many people who decide as sisters to be business partners and pursue this. We didn’t have a fashion background, but we loved shopping, fashion, interior design, and travel. We decided to put our passions together to make Ciao Bella happen.
What are some strategies you use to advertise the business?
That’s definitely the hardest thing. Social media is important, but word of mouth I would say is the number one piece of marketing. If you like a store, you’re going to tell your friends you like the store or if you see someone with a cute outfit you’ll ask them where they got it. That’s how we were encouraged to open our Fairfield location. It’s more about seeing your product out in the wild and having your customers be your biggest fans. That’s the number one marketing tool there is.
How did the name Ciao Bella come about?
We started off importing from Italy and while I was in the car with my niece that works here, she suggested the name Ciao Bella. That phrase is seen on all the t-shirts in Italy. It means hello beautiful in Italian, so that’s how it came about.
Ciao Bella is located right in downtown Fairfield on Post Road. It’s a quick ride on the Stag Bus, plus you can use your Stag Card on certain items. Whether you’re looking for dorm decor or shopping for some new clothes for spring, take a stop into Ciao Bella to see all they have to offer, you definitely won’t regret it!
XO Annie