Serenella’s modern silhouettes and trendy styles have drawn shoppers to her Boston store for more than four decades.
In 2017, the women’s fashion brand was introduced to Palm Beach customers. Owner Leslee Shupe opened the brand’s fourth storefront and first outside of Massachusetts at Royal Poinciana Plaza in November of that year.
Last fall, she moved the seasonal business to Via Bice, at 313 1/2 Worth Ave.
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The new location is a perfect fit for the brand, Shupe said.
“We opened last season in Via Bice and we are very happy about it,” she said. “It’s a wonderful new house. It’s a beautiful via, in front of the Bice restaurant. Our roots are Italian and European. It reminds you of Positano, Amalfi. It just brings together the mood and ambiance that we launched for Serenella Via Bice.”
The original Serenella opened in Boston in 1980 and has expanded to include two stores in Nantucket in addition to a fourth location in Palm Beach.
A multi-brand concept store with a focus on women’s fashion, accessories and jewellery, Serenella features a mix of designer collections from around the world, including Bottega Veneta, Missoni and Victoria Beckham.
“Serenella is very well-curated fashion from top designers and artisans from around the world,” said Shupe, who bought the company in 2003. “We’re looking for fashion, we’re looking for sustainability, and we’re also looking for business-owned women. We’re looking for exclusive things.”
Shupe, who grew up in the fashion industry and first joined Serenella after college, works closely with leading and emerging designers and often collaborates with them to create exclusive items for her stores, she said.
At its Palm Beach location, which is open from October to May, it features pieces from Giambattista Valli, Thom Browne, God’s True Cashmere, High Sport, Nazzy Beglari and Wales Bonner.
New York-based Mahnaz Collection is the jeweler in residence for this season, Shupe said, while the store also features pieces from jewelry designers Christina Alexiou, Marlo Laz, Kis Um and Beck Jewels.
Serenella also partners with MUSE fine jewelry agency, which specializes in representing independent jewelry designers.
In addition, the store features pharmacy products such as fragrances and hair care brands; and homewares such as Murano glassware by Emporio Sirenuse, authentic Sicilian hand-painted ceramics by Rosy di Natale, and tablecloths, chargers and napkins by Colombian designers Juan de Dios and Moye.
“We have ready-to-wear, we have accessories, we have tableware and we have homeware,” Shupe said. “We have comprehensive categories.”
Shupe said she is considering further expansion of Serenella, but she has not committed to a new location.
For now, she and her Palm Beach staff will continue to commute between Florida and Massachusetts, depending on the season. Nantucket stores are open between May and October.
“Serenella was my first job out of college,” Shupe said. “I started part-time. I left the store three times and came back as an owner. I’m very invested in Serenella.”
Jodie Wagner is a reporter at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He can be reached at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
