Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media
Greenwich conjugal boutique celebrates 50 years
1 / 3
Back to Gallery
Kindness is the key to success.
At atomic according to Jack and Etalo Ceci, brothers who will bless 50 years in business at their custom conjugal store, Exclusive Conjugal Shoppe, in Greenwich this year.
“I started (this business) from blemish in my home in Cos Cob,” Etalo said. “The abstruse is to be kind, compassionate and amicable.”
The Ceci brothers grew up in a ample Italian ancestors in Cos Cob, and Etalo, the earlier of the two, said he consistently had a adulation for fashion.
The boutique was the abstraction of Etalo, who channeled his architecture aspirations into bells accoutrements afterwards allowance his sisters adapt for their own nuptials. Exclusive started artlessly as a architecture flat run from Etalo’s home, and 45 years ago confused into its accepted area at 470 West Putnam Ave. Etalo brought Jack on lath aboriginal on to be the “numbers guy” and run the banking ancillary of the business. Jack additionally oversees arcade and accessories accessories to accomplish abiding aggregate runs calmly aback a helpmate is attractive for the absolute gown, not alone for herself, but for the blow of the bells party.
Today, the boutique carries 2,000 clothes samples in banal and an all-encompassing band of conjugal affair accoutrements and accessories, as able-bodied as dresses for mothers and sisters of the bride, and tuxedos and apparel for grooms and their attendants.
“It works both ways,” Etalo said. “If the helpmate wants a custom dress fabricated appropriate for her, again the benedict can accept a appropriate tux fabricated aloof for him.”
Etalo describes himself as a archetypal adventurous renaissance artist — he tries to stick with acceptable styles in the dresses he creates, but isn’t abashed to add a avant-garde flair. Many of the dresses accommodate aerial bead-work and duke stitching, all done centralized by Etalo on the third attic of the baby shop. He customizes every dress to clothing the bride, and has hundreds of styles cat-and-mouse to be apparent in the abundance that is about beginning with inventory. Etalo’s designs aren’t aloof for bounded barter either, he said he’s advised and alien custom dresses all over the world.
“It’s a fun business. We assignment actual carefully with our barter and accord them a lot of claimed absorption and TLC,” Jack said. “We apperceive what the chump wants, we’re a specialty boutique and we specialize in what they can’t acquisition elsewhere,” Jack said.
The boutique employs 15 bodies who advice accomplish the custom dresses. Etalo said he generally has an abstraction in apperception for the absolute dress for ceremony bride, and afterwards 50 years in the business considers himself a bit of an able in award the absolute dress.
“I attending at a being and see their best appearance and booty it from there,” Etalo said.
In accession to the avant-garde inventory, Etalo keeps a accumulating of best and aged bells dresses dating aback to the 1800s in the aback bend of the shop. He refurbishes and preserves the aged gowns, best with a complete history of who wore them and aback they were made, and intends to one day accord the accumulating to a museum.
The Ceci brothers accept kept their home and business in Greenwich, and accept been accustomed for their contributions to the bounded economy. In 2012, Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei declared Oct. 7 Etalo R. Ceci Day in account of his 75th altogether and his contributions to the association through his continued active business. In August, the brothers plan to bless their 50th ceremony with a 50 percent off auction — the dresses about run from $2,000 to $15,000.
The brace accept congenital a acceptability for affection account and chump care, and afterwards 50 years in business, the brothers accept started to acceptable third-generation brides whose mothers and grandmothers approved Etalo’s designs for their own appropriate day.
“We’re appreciative to be citizenry of Greenwich and accord aback in a way to the community,” Jack said. “It’s a admirable abode and we’re beholden to be here.”
KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-625-4411; Twitter: @kaitlynkrasselt
