Business Profile: Am2Pm Boutique, Mahopac
DAVID PROPPER PHOTO
Marianna Ashley doesn’t want to follow fashion trends; she’d rather start new ones.
And that’s part of the reason Ashley opened Am2Pm Boutique.
“I just don’t follow what the celebrities are wearing,” Ashley said. “I really put in what I like. What I think what everyone else will like and that’s just how I do it.”
“Having a little bit of everything,” Am2Pm Boutique has been open since November, bringing higher end women’s clothing to Mahopac. Although Ashley thought it would take longer to gain traction and customers in town, she’s been pleasantly surprised how fast business has picked up.
Living in Mahopac for close to ten years, Ashley used to go stories like Mandy’s before it closed. She felt the area was missing certain fashion shops for girls and women.
“We needed a place like this,” Ashley said. “A lot of boutiques tend to go in and out of business in Mahopac. I am not doing it. I want to expand. I want to have three, four stores.”
When customers first come in, Ashley said they might be intimated because they think the prices will be too high, only for that anxiety to disappear when they actually look at the price tag. She emphasized despite it being a boutique the prices are certainly reasonable.
“I just figured we needed a store like this with affordable process,” Ashley said.
The clothing, shoes, and accessories cater to a wide age range. While she thought at the beginning the store would only be for juniors, Ashley said Am2Pm caters to high school customer all the way up to women in their 60s.
The clothing comes from Los Angeles, which Ashley said has better quality clothing than shady places in New York City. As a picky customer herself when looking for clothes to sell, Ashley will only buy from legitimate companies and usually takes Ashley a few hours when selecting clothes.
“I have to absolutely love it,” she said. “Picking out the clothes is the hardest part.”
Opening a clothing store has always been a pursuit Ashley wanted to reach for more than five years. She used to manage a clothing store years ago and worked at a hair salon, but opening her own place was “always in the back of her mind.” Before having a location in Mahopac, she sold clothes online and had success at that.
Her husband finally convinced her to open her own store. As a people’s person, Ashley loved meeting new people and especially picking out new outfits for them.
“No one ever buys one thing,” she said. “It’s just how it is because everything is just so affordable you can spend, you can buy it.”
Ashley added, “There’s nothing in here that I wouldn’t wear myself. You can’t please everyone, but I try.”
