Dressing children for fancy occasions can be difficult and expensive. Vita Como, owner of brand new Europa Baby & Children’s Boutique, says she wanted to open a children’s special ware store because she believed it did not have to be that way.
Dressing children for fancy occasions can be difficult and expensive. Vita Como, owner of brand new Europa Baby & Children’s Boutique, says she wanted to open a children’s special ware store because she believed it did not have to be that way.
The store celebrated an Oct. 1, 2011 grand opening and is now Como’s fulltime project. She runs the store with her daughter, Angela, and has a direct hand in all the clothing featured in the store. “I’m always working,” Como says. “I handpick the clothing…I have to like the clothes myself. I would never put something in the store that I would not purchase for my own child.”
The store specializes in communion gowns but has clothing for both boys and girls. Other stock includes christening outfits, suits, party dresses, coats, baby layettes, shoes, bibs, blankets, hats, jewelry, and an array of accessories. They also offer some casual clothing, and for those with skin allergies there is a selection of clothing made from organic cotton. Most of the communion dresses are made in the United States (though some materials including silk and Swarovski crystals are imported from Europe), and some are made especially for the store. There is a level of customization available for each dress, and a variety of prices designed to meet everybody’s needs.
Como opened the store after spending 10 years working as a single mother at a bank. “At a certain time, it becomes not just about the money,” she says. “You have to enjoy what you do.”
Europa Baby & Children’s Boutique is located at 66-44 Grand Avenue, Maspeth. For more information call 718-505-BABY.
