Thursday, July 23, 2009

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A dream realized By Chakara Bennett ~ Guardian Summer Intern: Tyrina Neely took a major risk one year ago when she opened Primadona, a new business model to the country, which showcased affordable, luxury shopping and network, without the traditional brick and mortar retail location. That risk paid off. "One year later and still going strong" is what fashion enthusiast, Neely, 23, said of the business venture she opened after deciding she would return home after living in New York City and completing an internship at Sony BMG, and deciding to bring the ideas she learned in New York to the Bahamian environment. Although confident the idea would work, she had major doubts to overcome. "I was not sure how well this new way of shopping and interacting would be received and the months leading up to the first sale were nerve-wrecking to say the least," she says. Neely says that once the business got off the ground, most of her fears were dispelled. She feels that opening her business was a dream come true because she always wanted to be able to work full-time in fashion industry and hopefully have a positive influence on the growing Bahamian fashion industry. And even though she faces her share of problems, she says what keeps her motivated is the excitement and anticipation for each sale from her company's growing clientele. "Women tell me stories all the time of how eager and proud they are to wear their purchases and all the compliments they get when wearing them. I had a female client in particular who purchased a pair of limited edition designer flats at a sale several months ago. She wore them while in Bal Harbor, Florida and had a lady follow her while shopping to ask her where she purchased her shoes. The lady had been searching for weeks for the sold-out style to no avail. My client said the lady was not pleased when she told her she had purchased them in The Bahamas." Since its establishment in July 2008, there have been more than 10 Primadona designer shopping and networking events held — with changes from location, to the frequency of the sale. The event used to be held every three months, now Neely holds a sale monthly. Her designer brands have also been expanded to include women's apparel from La Rok and Ali Ro in addition to the previously carried lines such as Tory Burch and Betsey Johnson. Additionally, Neely says has introduced a limited selection of designer menswear to each sale. "Men can expect to find great contemporary designer shirts, cardigans, hats and neckties from brands such as Hugo Boss, Ben Sherman, French Connection, Paul Stuart and Steven Alan as well as limited edition sneakers from brands including ALife." Neely plans to implement an entirely separate sale for her men's fashion lines in the near future. But for now the next sale will be held on Thursday, July 30 at Harry's Haven, behind U.S. Embassy on, Queen's Street from 5 to 10 p.m. and will feature designer lines for both the masculine and feminine tastes. Tuesday, June 23, 2009