By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 20, 2008
Additional photos
CARROLLWOOD - Walk into The Pink Cabana and be prepared for an explosion of eye-popping hot pink and green with a touch of everything cutesy and girly.
That's exactly how owner Anni MacClellan wants it.
The trendy and fun boutique, originally called Anni's Paperchase, is carving a niche in selling high-end designer clothes and personalized gifts.
The shop opened in October 2001 as a stationery and gift store in Westchase and relocated to a more centralized Carrollwood location in 2006.
"It really was all of my favorite things," MacClellan said of the store's concept. "Whatever I saw that I loved, we carried in the store."
It was one of the original tenants in West Park Village, but when the lease expired after five years, she searched for a larger showroom.
In 2006, MacClellan reopened the store at 14361 N. Dale Mabry Highway with a new name, new logo and an expanded inventory.
She added high-end women's and children's clothing labels such as Juicy Couture, Lilly Pulitzer, 7 For All Mankind, Betsey Johnson, Citizens of Humanity jeans, Joe's jeans, Lacoste, Free People and Nanette Lepore so customers wouldn't have to drive to International Plaza for the clothes.
Despite the popularity of electronic invitations and stationery available online, personalized paper needs still make up about half of her business.
There is a continuing market for customized invitations and thank-you cards for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, birth announcements and anniversaries, MacClellan said.
"Most people who order high-end stationery want to touch and feel it," she said.
The idea for the store came after she decided not to return to teaching after her first baby. She had wanted to open a business and, about the same time, all her girlfriends were either pregnant or getting married.
She found she was constantly buying cards or invitations for baby and bridal showers.
Her penchant for paper stuck.
She paired the stationery niche market with a gift boutique, filling the store with glamorous and chic things that she loved.
The color pink has been a central theme throughout the shop. MacClellan said she initially carried a large selection of Lilly Pulitzer apparel and built the store around the line's signature pinks and greens.
She incorporated her favorite color into the store's name when she relocated to Carrollwood.
Today, the store is filled with everything from Brighton jewelry, striped tennis racket covers, matching golf club covers, ice cream scoops and accessories for Crocs to coffee cups, bejeweled staplers and tape dispensers.
The Vera Bradley line of quilted totes, purses, book bags, satchels and cosmetic bags are displayed in 24 feet of cabinets, about four times as much space as in the original store.
Loyal customers can look forward to even more Vera Bradley pieces and high-end tops and dresses.
MacClellan plans to expand the boutique into the adjacent storefront. Construction crews will refurbish the empty space and then close the store for three days so crews can knock down the wall and finish the restoration.
She hopes the grand reopening will be in early April.
To prepare for the expansion, MacClellan will hold a tent sale on March 1 to clear out merchandise. She has inventory in three storage units and up to 30 boxes of new merchandise come in each day.
The larger store will feature a Vera Bradley store within a store by offering its bedding line. There also will be a room where party-planning experts can consult with customers about invitations and cards. A butler's pantry will offer space for customers to lounge and snack on coffee, juice and treats.
The boutique is filled with unusual gifts in the $20 to $25 range - what gift-buyers typically want to spend on a present, she said.
"When we first opened, we didn't carry a lot of stuff that wasn't name brand," MacClellan said. "We learned rather quickly we needed to have more affordable items."
Monogrammed items are big sellers for parents looking for unusual party gifts or thank-you cards. Instead of giving out treat bags, girls can get personalized T-shirts, and for baby showers planners can order shirts for siblings, she said.
"I think parents are getting back into writing thank-you cards after a birthday party. It gives them an incentive to have cute notecards," she said.
Shelby Dugan of Odessa has been shopping at The Pink Cabana since it opened as a stationery store in Westchase.
"I just think it's darling," she said of the store. "It's so pleasant to come in. It's a wonderful place to buy a gift, something unusual."
Dugan said she loves the clothes and also the small touches that add spunk to any party, like the colored appetizer picks or the monogrammed Styrofoam cups.
Her Vera Bradley bag comes in handy for toting hobby knick-knacks and items she needs for Bible study.
"I think they have a brilliant concept for what pleases the customer," Dugan said. "It's an experience. It's not just shopping. My husband always says, 'What's The Pink Cabana on the credit card?' "
THE PINK CABANA
ADDRESS: 14361 N. Dale Mabry Highway
PHONE: (813) 960-1940
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday |
