Owner wants her new formal dress shop to be known for customer service
The Enterprise — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
Tara Camardo Attanasio, owner of the new Azalea Boutique in Carman Plaza, adjusts a lace panel on a wedding gown that she describes as bohemian-inspired, but with a classic cut.
GUILDERLAND — Azalea Boutique — offering evening wear, prom dresses, and bridal gowns — will open Sept. 4 in Carman Plaza at 3770 Carman Rd. in Guilderland.
Owner Tara Camardo Attanasio said she is trying to make the 1,750-square-foot space a place where people feel good and want to spend their time.
“I want my customer service to be the main thing,” she said. “I want them to come back. I want it to be like, ‘Let’s go to Azalea; Tara will find us something.”
She carries styles for every occasion, she said, including proms; balls; formal weddings, for brides and bridesmaids; sweet 16; quinceañeras, and bat mitzvahs. She also has bridal jewelry and plans to add items like Spanx and double-sided tape.
Attanasio grew up in Altamont and graduated from Guilderland High School in 1992.
She went to college for fashion design and marketing and worked as an account executive with a clothing company in Manhattan’s garment district, before marrying, moving to the Capital District, and starting a family.
She later worked at the original Angela’s Bridal in Guilderland as a manager where she helped the owner with buying, and did formal-wear alterations out of her home. She coached soccer at Guilderland High School until a year or two ago.
Tara Camardo Attanasio, owner of the new Azalea Boutique in Carman Plaza, adjusts a lace panel on a wedding gown that she describes as bohemian-inspired, but with a classic cut.
When she turned 44, Attanasio said, she thought she had better try to do what she had always wanted to do, and open her own shop.
She worked with the Small Enterprise Economic Development, or SEED, program, through the Small Business Development Center at the University at Albany.
At program’s end, Attanasio successfully pitched her plan to State Employees Federal Credit Union and got a $35,000 loan to help her get started.
She named the shop after a flower that she said is vibrant and long-lasting. “Azaleas are also resilient,” she said.
The boutique’s design is spare, and Attanasio plans to keep it that way. One item still to be added, at the center of the store, is a large wooden case with full-length mirrors at either end and a rack on one side. Her husband is currently building it for her.
