Brides are usually the ones who go through the bittersweet process of choosing a wedding dress, but what about their moms? What mom wears is equally important and Serafina Design in Williston Park say they love catering to moms and other women to help prep them for any occasion. Storeowner and designer Serafina Gaglio puts her love of fashion into her business when catering to her clients needs.
“We do a lot of mother of the brides,” said Gaglio. “It’s for more mature women but we still do have a lot of Sweet 16 dresses and prom gowns.”
custom creations.
Serafina Design has been a part of the Williston Park community since 2014, but Gaglio established that many of her customers from the store’s previous location in Port Washington still come to her for their dress needs. Gaglio runs the store, does custom work and alterations while her daughter Josephine handles the sales.
“What I love is to dress up the customer with the jewelry, bag and shoes,” said Gaglio. “I am a dress maker. I can see the problem the person has with a dress and fix it to the way she should have it.”
The store boasts a large dressing room with a walled mirror that allows customers to see how their dresses look. Among the midst of designer gowns are Gaglio’s own creations. Alterations for any gown are done in the store as well.
“We have a lot of styles to choose from,” said Gaglio. “They’re mostly gowns but we do have some short ones also. We have sleeveless, different fabrics, straight gowns or full gowns. The best part about this is that we do alterations because nobody ever buys a dress right off the rack and just walks out with it. If it’s not fitted the right way then there’s no point in buying it.”
Many of Gaglio’s customers travel to come to her store at 169 Hillside Ave. Customers who were left with a positive impression of Gaglio and her business often write thank you cards. Gaglio keeps the thank you cards and has them arranged on a display above her register in the store.
“We have had customers come from Westchester, Brooklyn, Queens, Oceanside and Montauk,” said Gaglio.
Gaglio has had her business for about 27 years, and has gone in and out of retirement twice. “ I can’t retire,” she said. “I love this business so much. I love to sew. I love to create. I love to make the customer happy.”
Whatever the occasion, Serafina Design puts the customer at the forefront of any experience. “A lot of people are thrilled because there are not that many stores like this,” said Gaglio. “The department stores don’t give you that one-on-one. It’s an individual experience for everyone and if we can’t find your size, then we’ll order your size.”
Visit www.serafinadesigns.com or call 516-385-8567 for more information.
