Taking A Stand - Amanda

“Say Yes to the
Dress Canada”
star shares
secrets to
legendary
success.
here’s no question that when W
Network contacted Sam Pollari
about featuring his store on “Say Yes
to the Dress Canada,” he was thrilled.
Being honored with this coveted
spot on the series’ first season for 2015
was a big feather in Pollari’s professional
hat. It was equally exciting for his wife,
Rachelle, who co-owns Amanda-Lina’s
Sposa Boutique with Pollari, serving as
its in-house designer and stylist.
To them, the news was a welcome
validation of sorts – a long-deserved
testament to the excellence of the
store’s product and services, rich history and talented staff.
March/April 2015
T
Standing Out From the Crowd
Helps to Create a Niche
The story of Amanda-Lina’s began
when Pollari entered into the bridal
business because of his immigrant parents, Antonio and Lina.
In 1969, the couple opened a modpage
162 VOWS:
Being invited on the show
was an honor that validated
years of hard work.
est mom-and-pop shop called Lina’s in
the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge,
Ontario. For about 30 years these
industrious entrepreneurs applied their
dressmaking, seamstress and tailoring
Where is it?
skills to dress brides and social-occasion
customers. And in 1979, the couple
asked their son, Sam, to join them in the
business.
At the time, Pollari was pursuing a
business administration direction in his
career. However, after assisting his parents with certain projects and needs,
plus going to the store to learn about
the business out of genuine curiosity, he
found himself helping out more and
more, doing whatever they needed or
Located in the large suburban area of Woodbridge, Ontario,
Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique is about a 40-minute drive north of
Toronto. Over the years, it’s primarily drawn brides from within a
90-mile radius but also served brides beyond its province (“state”
in U.S. terms) or its national borders. Due to the taping and airing
of the show “Say Yes to the Dress Canada,” Amanda-Lina’s has
more recently seen a surge of brides flying in from the West and
East Coast of Canada.
Photo Credit: Frank Mazzuca | Mazzuca DPI
Amanda-Lina’s
Retail Standout:
Taking A
Stand
by Katie Roberts
Amanda-Lina’s
Retail Standout:
couldn’t manage themselves.
“That’s how I got caught – or got the
bug, rather,” Pollari says. “I caught the
bridal fever and realized I had a passion
for it. Next thing I knew, I was involved
and had so many ideas. I knew they
couldn’t do what I envisioned, so I did it
for them.”
It took less than a year for Pollari to
start shaking things up, implementing
changes to the store’s product offerings.
In fact, on his first buying trip while
viewing the eveningwear collection
from their store’s first supplier, Pollari
spoke up – and this became a defining
moment in terms of his new role with
the store.
“The supplier was pulling racks and
racks of gowns, and I didn’t like any of
it,” Pollari says. “I told him, ‘I’m so sorry,
but it’s just not clicking. Nothing is suitable for our store and the new direction we are going.’ With that, the supplier called my father ranting and raving.
But my father backed me on that and all
the buying decisions going forward. And
that was my big start, my big entry into
the buying world.”
Feeling supported and confident
about this new direction, Pollari made a
sort of unspoken promise to forever
invigorate Lina’s with fashion-forward
looks. Of course, he was smart enough
to know he’d have to carry the bread-
Pollari loves to buy
trending designs that other
stores overlook or choose not
to carry.
and-butter styles that a sizeable chunk
of his Canadian audience would buy.
But he would never shrink from carrying deadweight gowns, and he started
instituting another strategy – buying
trending designs from collections that
other stores commonly overlooked or
chose not to carry.
“While I’ll have all the regulars available, I might buy the one Maggie
Sottero dress that 30 other stores don’t
buy,” he says.
Working alongside his parents had
its advantages: Pollari gained extensive
experience managing a business, and
learned he had an eye for fashion and a
gift for buying the right product.
However, as the years went on, he
began dreaming of owning his own
business – a polished, modern store
that would afford him greater control
and an official break from some of the
common complexities that come from
working with parents as partners.
Interestingly, it was his own marriage
to Rachelle that helped inspire Pollari to
“cut the cord” and pursue his true professional dream in bridal retail owner-
ship. Rachelle wasn’t just the love of his
life but the perfect business partner for
the bridal industry. After studying
Fashion Technique and Design at
Sheridan College, she had been hired
by a prominent Canadian couture
house where she work on designs and
also modeled what was created. Several
years after they tied the knot, the
Everything is camera-ready on the showroom floor.
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164 VOWS:
Photo Credit: Frank Mazzuca | Mazzuca DPI
March/April 2015
Brides ring the store’s bell
after they find the perfect dress.
peted with one another. That, coupled
with the fact they were now working in
different locations, eventually led to the
decision to close one of the stores.
The remaining venue, located in a
Woodbridge shopping strip and
redesigned to feature 20-foot ceilings,
romantic archways, rod iron details and
a more grandiose, upscale feel, became
the home of “Amanda-Lina’s Sposa
Boutique.”
Officially given that name in 2005, it’s
since become a brand that has ties to
brides and customers of the past while
speaking effectively to modern brides of
the present. The 6,500-square-footspace houses bridal, fashion-forward
special occasion wear for MOBs and
cocktail party needs, accessories and a
robust prom selection. Price points run
the gamut from modest to couture to
appeal to a wide audience of budgets.
With the Right Product to Sell
The Right Staff Can Excel
When thinking about the success of
Amanda-Lina’s, Pollari says there’s no
doubt that luck has been on their side at
times.
However, the positive year-over-year
results are clearly attributable to the
storeowners’ excellent work ethic, their
passion for the business, and simply having the right mix of skills and talent to
dr ive bottom-line achievement.
Sometimes at markets or shows, Pollari
somehow just knew what would or
wouldn’t be a great dress – a sort of sixsense he learned to pay attention to
after realizing at one particular
Demetrius show, early in his career, that
he had a unique gift for spotting stellar
styles.
“It was a standing-room only sort of
event, and I’ll never forget it,” he says.
“This wedding gown came out and it hit
me. It was like I felt a force, like the dress
spoke to me. The gown was outstanding, phenomenal. It almost knocked me
over. I just happened to be in the right
place at the right time, so there was
some luck involved. But I had to make
the effort to be there – if I hadn’t, the
experience would have never happened.”
In addition to his gift for spotting
great fashions and strategic buying,
Pollari says he’s been blessed with an
incredibly talented staff. The store has a
total of 14 employees, a mix of parttime and full-time employees, including
seasonal employees who work the
prom department and one employee
who has been with the owners since
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165 VOWS:
March/April 2015
The store had only one month to update its look before filming the show.
Retail Standout: Amanda-Lina’s
Pollaris decided to take a big risk and
open their own bridal salon in 1995 –
just as they were expecting a third child.
“I remember when we started out,
we had a couple of employees, and it
was like, ‘How are we going to make
payroll?’” Pollari says. “Leaving the other
business and opening this store was the
right thing to do – you have to leave the
nest, and my parents soon came to realize this decision, as hard as it was at the
time on all of us, was the right one.”
He continues, “It was a big risk but a
calculated one. We had to refinance the
house to afford it because the bank loan
wasn’t enough. We sacrificed a lot. It was
like starting from scratch.”
Fortunately, the sacrifice was worth
it. This first store, named “Amandalina’s
Bridal Boutique,” soon experienced
phenomenal growth thanks to its reputation as a very modern store with stylish bridal fashion and Rachelle’s ability to
custom make or alter gowns to any
bride’s taste. Five years after it opened,
Pollari decided to open a second shop
in the area, “Lina’s Sposa Boutique,” to
honor and carry on the tradition of his
parents’ store, which closed in 1999.
While that decision satisfied an emotional need for Pollari, who felt his
mother’s name should carry on in the
community, he and Rachelle soon discovered the two successful stores com-
Pollari has a gift for spotting great fashions, an
instinct he follows closely.
Amanda-Lina’s
Retail Standout:
they launched their business in 1995.
The Amanda-Lina’s team includes a
diversity of ages and ethnic backgrounds – another strategy that supports its service goals. With fashionsavvy teens working the prom department all the way up to Pollari’s mother,
Lina, who comes in every Saturday to
help out on the floor, customers feel
comfortable and welcomed by the
Amanda-Lina “family,” which is all key to
an effective selling environment.
And, of course, Rachelle gives the
store an elite advantage with her keen
eye for fashion design and expert outfitting acumen. Her ongoing ability to
make custom changes to a gown,
should a customer request it, also
comes in handy and further differentiates the store from its competitors.
“This type of request doesn’t happen as often as it used to, but it’s still
something our store offers that makes
it incredibly unique,” Pollari says. “She’s a
perfect example of how our strength is
our people. We have very good people
here, they are constantly trying to share
ideas and discuss what they’ve learned
The ability to make
custom changes to gowns
differentiates this salon from
competitors.
with the customers.They are very interactive with their customers. You can
have good dresses, but good customer
service is really part and parcel to making it all happen.”
Multi-Channel Marketing Efforts
Build Buzz, Engage Customers
Without a doubt, Amanda-Lina’s is
one business that’s never dragged
behind the times when it comes to
marketing and advertising.
The store’s polished brand makes a
stand for itself and is consistently
pushed through a multi-channel effort
that includes television, radio, print and
online marketing, specifically a strong
social-media agenda as well. For example, Amanda-Lina’s has an active Twitter
account and offers website visitors the
ability to browse collections, see style
numbers, view prices, pin their favorite
March/April 2015
In The Spotlight: Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique
Established: 1995
Size: 6,500 square feet
Total Staff: 14
Compensation Structure: Hourly
wages, performance spiffs
Alterations: Done on premises
Marketing: Bridal magazines, bridal
show expos, social media, e-mail blasts,
TV, newspaper and occasional radio.
Local “Must See”: Canada’s
Wonderland, aka “Canada’s Premier
Adventure Park”, the country’s firstever major theme park.
Favorite Read: An active stock-market
trader, co-owner Sam Pollari loves
reading books and articles on wealth
and investment building. The president
of Amanda-Lina’s also says he enjoys reading books related to self-improvement.
Goodwill Causes: Over the years, Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique has donated
hundreds of wedding gowns to fundraising charities such as Goodwill and
Windfall, as well as products for local fundraising for churches. One time during
a live morning-television show, the business donated a wedding gown, alterations and accessories to a bride who couldn’t afford it. They have also donated gifts of products to local fundraising church activities.
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gowns to Pinterest, and share their
prom and wedding stories.
In addition, the store hosts a weekly
blog and is very active on Facebook,
where it posts store activities, sales, promotions, trunk shows, and other signature special events such as its annual
bridal gown sale at Canada’s National
Bridal Show, where it sells designer
gowns up to 70 percent off.
“The website was a big undertaking – we hired an IT person to design
it,” says Pollari, noting that Canadian
bridal magazines are only published
twice a year. “It’s very effective for us in
terms of marketing, but it’s got to constantly evolve and be updated because
with SEO, you’ve got to be on top.
You’ve got to be the first one to pop up
in a search.”
The website also prominently promotes a handful of its team members
who are being featured on “Say Yes to
the Dress Canada.” Each smiling face
represents different skills and strengths
in terms of what these staff members
offer customers both on and off the
show. Their photos and bios are part of
the marketing offered by the network,
giving viewers an introduction to who is
featured on the various episodes.
Speaking of the series, Pollari says
the experience of being chosen has
been something he’ll forever treasure.
W Network sent someone to “secret
shop” the store to scope it out before
an official meeting was scheduled to discuss the possibility. After being chosen
in July 2014, the store had only one
month to update itself for filming needs,
which included changes to lighting,
flooring, and even a special wallpaper
that was not available in North
America. It was flown in, direct from
England.
With all the changes that had to
quickly take place, there wasn’t a
moment to lose – and everything had
to be just perfect. However, the Pollaris
didn’t mind one bit – after all, the
opportunity to be on the show was a
chance of a lifetime.
“It was wonderful. . . to be featured in
the Canadian version of the iconic wedding show,” he says. “We were excited
and anxious to prep for the series and
welcomed the cameras into our store.
We felt like we were letting viewers
Building on What Works Today
Impacts Outlook for Tomorrow
Despite the “nail biting” involved in
waiting to learn whether their store gets
reselected for the next “Say Yes to the
Dress Canada” series, Pollari and
Rachelle aren’t wasting a moment’s time
wondering.
Forever passionate about improving
upon the business, they’re busy polishing
and perfecting what they currently offer
customers, always scrutinizing and planning their next business moves. For
example, as mentioned, the store has
experienced phenomenal sales in the
prom category, which according to their
regional market research was previously
being underserved in the area. Given
this big gap in revenue-generating product, Pollari now plans to take a further
The Amanda-Lina's Sposa Boutique staff.
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March/April 2015
Photo Credit: Frank Mazzuca | Mazzuca DPI
publicly reveal their love for wedding
dresses and the intimate connections
they create with their brides. As well, it
gave the staff a chance to showcase
their proficiency in problem solving and
demonstrate how to consistently deliver
superior bridal-gown shopping experiences.
“The overall experience was wonderful, and we enjoyed working with the
production company and W Network,”
Pollari says. In addition, “We would be
very pleased to continue our association with ‘Say Yes to the Dress Canada.’ In
Season 2, we would continue to
improve, contribute and showcase
Canadian culture and the wonderful
stories from Canadian brides. There is
always more to show about how we do
business and the reason we have been
so successful for so long.”
Retail Standout: Amanda-Lina’s
become part of our family.”
Taping of Series 1 ran August 11 thru
November 2, an intense period in which
the staff had to balance its traditional
business with the business of the show.
Between the network and its producers, there were an average of 45 additional people on site at the store during
the taping. Participating staff would
come in for makeup, coaching and taping, and then often return to the floor
for a few more hours of off-camera selling to its non-show clientele.
During the taping, it wasn’t always
easy to balance the needs of the show
with those of the store. It took commitment and creativity to maintain a sense
of normalcy for non-show customers
and staff, plus meet the day-in, day-out
business responsibilities and demands of
the store. But such challenges were the
kind they all joyfully embraced.
Participating in the show enabled
Amanda-Lina’s staff members to more
Amanda-Lina’s
plans to expand its rapidly
growing prom category in
the near future.