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Cassiopeia winner of the 2008 Consumer Choice award for Best Exlusive Boutique

By Margaret Anne Fehr

Changes are inevitable and whether they are planned or come out of the blue, business success depends on how well they are handled.

Julie Land, owner of Cassiopeia, winner of the 2008 Consumer Choice Award has embraced the changes that have come her way to improve upon the services and selection that her enterprise offers to her clients.

The Cassiopeia Bridal Boutique on 263 Vaughan Street has undergone a major transformation. "Our landlord had offered us a portion of a new vacancy next door, so we took the opportunity to transform our space. With the increased square footage, we also have increased our inventory space."

As for decor, Ms Land says, "It now has a Mediterranean theme that matches the style of our European-designed dresses. The reception area and the specialty occasion room are defined with rounded archways that give the space the feel of a very modern, up-scale boutique."

"We have also expanded our new seamstress couture area and storage space. Another change is the opening of a second entranceway from within the Power Building that increases the accessibility to the store."

Cassiopeia wedding The downtown Cassiopeia Bridal Boutique continues to specialize in bridal wear and so much more. "Besides the best of wedding dresses, both in-store and special-orders, we also offer bridal veils, on-site alterations and tuxedo rentals for the groom and ushers," says Ms Land.

"We are taking the service even further by working with a hair designer, a manicurist and our in-house make-up artist to deliver the whole package to our clients. We also have a wedding planner and wedding commissioner on staff. We really aspire to be a one-stop shop for all our customers' wedding needs."

As of December 2008, Cassiopeia has also taken over the Bay Bridal Salon on the third floor of the Bay's flagship store on Memorial Boulevard. "So now we have two locations that are bridal specific," says Ms Land.

"We have expanded our inventory with this new location which means that if a bride is not able to find exactly what she's looking for at our main location, we send her across the street to the Bay, and chances are we will have what they are looking for. It helps us serve and retain our customers better."

Cassiopeia has two other locations; the founding store at the Forks Johnston Terminal and a mall location at Kildonan Place. Says Ms Land, "We network a lot between the four locations to help our customers find exactly what they are looking for."

In the present economic climate, Ms Land is concentrating on value-added services and products for her clients. "We work more with our customers' budgets now. We may throw in a free veil or a free alteration or a free tuxedo rental. We also cap alterations. So instead of alterations costing $250, we'll cap them at $100 to $150 depending on what's involved."

"Our alterations have increased in the last several months, so much so, that we've hired another seamstress at Kildonan Place."

Ms Land sums up. "What hasn't changed for us is trying to match the perfect dresses to our unique clientele."

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