Geneseo Boutique Offers the “Purrfect” Price
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- Written by BECKY MCKEOWN
GENESEO — You don’t have to go to New York City, or even Rochester, to find the hottest fashions. Geneseo’s Alley Cat Purrfect Price has unique clothes and accessories for fashionable women and men of all ages at affordable prices that won’t make you hiss.
Owner and “Top Cat” Connie Saffan opened Alley Cat two years ago after working several years in retail in New York City. The Geneseo resident is glad for the change of pace her shop’s small-town location has to offer.
“It’s a quiet town and it’s not always busy,” said Saffan. “It’s not like you go crazy because you’re in retail. It’s more like a little destination spot. I prefer it that way. I was in crazy retail for 14 years and I sure wouldn’t want to be there again.”
Saffan runs the shop by herself, with Grace Calderwood helping with the website and modeling the boutiques many clothes.
Alley Cat features new, used and vintage clothing, shoes and accessories in a variety of styles for children, teens and adults. Saffan’s goal is to provide Livingston County’s fashionistas with a place to get unique, fashionable items for a low price. Some of shop’s most popular items are faux fur coats she sells at half-price.
Since the boutique isn’t a consignment shop, Saffan has to do a lot of creative shopping to find whimsical items, especially since she stocks new items every week.
“I shop everywhere,” said Saffan. “I find things online, at thrift stores, antique stores—it could be things people give me. I’ve got things here from Peru and from New Orleans.”
The customers appreciate her effort. Saffan has kept a guest book in the shop since opening. The pages are filled with customers praising the shop’s items and calling the boutique “so New York.”
To show her appreciation for her customers, Saffan holds a raffle every month. The winner receives a $50 gift certificate to the store. She also makes sure to have a tray of cookies and candies in the shop for sweet-toothed customers to snack on as they browse.
“I just try to make it a fun place to shop,” said Saffan. “It’s not fun if it costs too much money.”
Alley Cat is located at 6 Center Street and is open 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, visit www.alleycatpurrfectpriceboutique.com.
