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Thank you From Anita Manfredonia, Owner of Pippy&Lily Boutique March 18 2021

Thank you to all who supported me and my boutique during the pandemic. One year ago today, we closed our doors for 4 months. With the loyalty and support of our community, we are still surviving and waiting for the big day when we can all celebrate! This is proof that small businesses need their community to survive and thrive. Where else can we listen to each other, especially when times are challenging and we are losing our loved ones? You are like family and we appreciate you more than ever!

With gratitude and love, I thank you for being there for me and the team!

with love,
Anita Manfredonia
Owner

Grateful To Be In Business February 17 2019

So here we are again! We’re approaching spring 2019 and we feel so grateful to be in business. We are entering our 7th year at Pippy&Lily! When did that happen?

While retail is changing and spinning like a top, I wonder where it will end up when it slows down. Stores big and small falling daily like dominoes. Online shopping is taking over almost every business category.

I sometimes think, should I stay or should I go?  Do I have the patience, know-how, and strength to keep trying?  I think what would I do if I didn’t have a boutique to go to everyday? Will my customers move on to the internet for good? All these things go around in my head.   Should I feel better that other stores are struggling too and not just me? Not that I want anyone to struggle.

We are all rowing in the same direction….forward! However, will the internet and artificial intelligence overpower us like a huge tidal wave?   I believe if you want to be in it, you must be in it hard and play the game hard. If you can’t handle it, get out. It’s not that simple however.

I choose to forge a friendship with this new retail world. That doesn’t mean I will have a website only and not a store. I Love what I do and I have an obligation to my customers to try and stay around.

They are the reason I am here.

I believe that everything is cyclical even though I know the internet isn’t going anywhere. So, I will have to change my plan. Change must happen. It’s not only about the products we sell anymore, it’s about having fun, escaping to a place that gives you peace and joy when you shop. Customers need to participate or experience something. They need what the internet cannot give them. I still believe we all need to be with people.

I plan to offer more interactive events and hard to find unique products that make our customers want to visit our boutique. Not everyone is going to want to stay indoors and shop online all the time. Just like animals need each other to survive. We, especially women, like to be heard. We like to vent, laugh, cry and help one another. We are stronger when we’re together. We will endure. We will proceed together in this crazy retail world.

Happy Spring!

Fondly,

Anita Manfredonia


Thankful & Grateful October 27 2018

".....we are totally grateful for our customers’.   We are coming upon our 6 year

anniversary at Pippy&Lily in Flushing, Queens."

  LiveonNy Organ Donor Day 2018 


The Buzz at Pippy&Lily This Fall! September 27 2017

Customer Buzz at Pippy&Lily so Far this Season!

Autumn is here and I am more excited about this season than seasons before.

It’s still warm and it’s late September. Customers’ seem to be on a fast track in gathering their Autumn outfits. We can feel the excitement, we hear the positive comments and we love it. Thank you!  Consumer confidence is stronger than ever before.

Our boutique has tweaked its assortment recently. We added more apparel and accessories and weaned out the home décor and tabletop categories. We took a big sigh of relief knowing it was the right thing to do. As the retail atmosphere changes in brick and mortar stores, online retailing is on an upward journey. However, small businesses are on the rise. Customers like the quaintness, personal touch they get when shopping in small shops.

We added more apparel brands, colors, and sizes for our working gals, moms and daughters. We gathered a collection of unique jewelry some of which are handmade, Made in America, brands that give back to good causes, and we especially love our jewelry made by entrepreneurial women. Fun fashion jewelry is still a boutique favorite.

Our new classic/ trendy handbag and clothing line is blowing out the doors. We also added a “Paris meets Boho” clothing line arriving mid October.

 

“Newness is essential and making it an exciting experience in a boutique is a must!”

We continue our trunk shows and fundraisers starting this October 4th kicking off our third annual LiveOnNy Organ Donor Day. We will be signing up organ donors one person at a time. Helping to save the lives of those 10k New Yorker’s on the transplant waiting list.

On November 4th we will showcase our local jewelry designer who is starting to make Pippy&Lily her second home. Necklaces made of semi-precious stones, pearls, crystals and unique clasps are our customer’s favorites. It only happens three times a year so you won’t want to miss this last event of the year!

Here’s to hoping the Fall momentum overflows into the next season so we can enjoy an exciting holiday like no other!

Fondly,

Anita Manfredonia  Owner

Pippy&Lily, Inc.


The Mighty Purse Everyone Needs to Own. September 14 2015

We've all been there when your cell phone dies and you don't have your charger handy. Now there is an answer and it's fashionable! The Mighty Purse had a built in cell phone charger tucked away in a fabric sleeve in the center compartment. The fabric sleeve snaps to the interior of the purse,so the battery charger is designed to blend in. The USB charging cable is neatly tucked away in a zippered pocket, and the whole arrangement has a very slim form factor that fits neatly into the purse. It's really lightweight and you'll never know it's there. It will charge your cell approximately 2 times per charge. To charge the battery, just lift the charger out of the bag or keep it in and plug the USB cable into your tablet or Laptop.

The bags come in an array of colors and styles. Pippy&Lily will have a mix of wristlets, crossbody bags and wallets. The bags are either leather or vegan leather. New this Fall will be the fringed crossbody bags. Stop by our boutique and see them up close and personal.

Pippy&Lily, 161-05 29th Ave. Flushing, New York 11358.


Customers I Meet Along the Journey! June 10 2015

Today at the boutique, I was faced with a customer's husband telling me his wife had passed away. He said she always loved the store and he felt the need to stop in and tell me. Besides the overwhelming grief and shock I felt, I realized as I have so many times in the last 3 years, that I am so lucky. Geri would stop in every few months if she felt well enough after kidney dialysis. Her husband would drive her up to the door and wait in the car until however long she wanted to shop. She was one of the bravest women I have ever met. She was always pleasant and never let on to the battle she faced daily. I hope she is at peace now.  I will miss seeing and talking with her again.

I get the chance to meet some of the most amazing and beautiful people of the neighborhood. I know their kids, sisters, brothers, family and friends. They openly tell me their most personal stories, both good and bad. We laugh, we sometimes cry together. 

Looking back, I opened the boutique to bring pretty, unique, and attainable products to those who want to feel and look good. Or, to bring a gift to a friend, hostess or to say "thank you". In the grand scheme of things, I feel lucky that my little haven Pippy&Lily draws those who feel happy or sad, ill or well...if it makes them joyous for the moment, then I did my job!

God bless Geri and her family at this time of overwhelming grief!  

Anita Manfredonia