Reading Boutique Expanding to Andover

By Matt Schooley.

Fans of Aine’s Boutique in Reading may have one more destination to add to their shopping list.

Founder and owner Julie Centrella is taking the formula she used to find success in her Reading store to open a sister location in Andover called Wardrobe.

The stores will be similar, but different enough that Centrella said shoppers will still find it worthwhile to go to both. Some items will only be available for sale in Reading and not Andover, and vice versa. At Wardrobe, there are likely to be more home goods thank there are at Aine’s, for example, though clothing items will also be found on the shelves in both stores.

“I’m very excited about the new store,” said Centrella. “We continue to grow in Reading, and it’s nice to also go into new towns, meet new people, and expand in the area. We offer a good product, good services, and good prices. People have seemed to gravitate to us. It’s a fun atmosphere. We’re looking forward to having the same feel in Andover.

Wardrobe will be located at 63 Park Street in Andover. Aine’s Boutique is located at 662 Main Street, where the business expanded to about 2 years ago. Centrella has been opened in Reading for about five years, starting in a smaller storefront on Haven Street.

As is the case with her Reading location, Centrella said she will also offer special events at Wardrobe. Private shopping nights and other fundraisers will happen on a regular basis, and the business owner said she already has five such events booked in the Andover store.

The new store will include environmentally friendly packaging materials, and the check out process will be streamlined using iPads. As a result, employees can ring up customers from anywhere in the store. Centrella said if all goes well with that process, it may be something she brings to Reading to use at Aine’s Boutique.

According to Centrella, the grand opening of Wardrobe is slated for November 2.

"We’ve built up our name in town. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but we’ve got great customers. They like having things in town where they don’t have to go to the mall, and that's something we hope to bring to Andover as well."