Bellacara Celebrates 21 Years
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 21 years since Bellacara first opened its doors! I never would have imagined that I would be here 20 plus years later. I think back to how naively I opened the store and I’m glad I didn’t know all that it would entail or I probably wouldn’t have done it. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith.
Now, I can’t imagine not having spent those years with all of you. I’ve said it before, but I’ll happily say it again, all of you – my amazing customers – are what makes this business and my life so wonderful. This year has been difficult. It has been hard to keep the shelves stocked and the lights on. It just has.
A year ago, I celebrated Bellacara’s 20-year anniversary, and then a week later, everything was shut down. I am happy to still be here a year later. I truly believe that this spring and summer things will turn around. People will get vaccinated. Life will start to open up again.
It’s a reason for celebration and it just so happens to coincide with our 21st anniversary. This year, we plan to celebrate like it’s 2019! Okay, so maybe not exactly like 2019, but we plan to celebrate. We wish we could have the big party and the blowout we normally do, but safety precautions and frankly, the government, won’t let us. So, we have to find another way. The good news is that we have a blueprint in place. We managed to have a pretty amazing Black Friday, all while practicing social distancing. We plan to replicate that system for our Anniversary Celebration.
What that means for you is that we will be allowing pre-orders. I know! We never do that! Well, take advantage this year because I hope to go back to normal next year. The Anniversary Celebration will be March 27. In order to practice social distancing and to be sensitive to those who can’t venture out, we will be allowing pre-sale. Beginning on March 24, we will be taking pre-orders. You can place your order and it will be rung up on the 27. The first 75 orders to reach $250 after the 15 percent discount will receive a swag bag. The swag bags will be put aside based on a first-come-first-served basis. Orders will be placed on Saturday, March 27. That means whatever is on the shelf will be pulled and added to the order. SkinCeuticals, Augustinus Bader, Oribe, Laura Mercier, Dermalogica, and Revitalash will be allowed to be ordered even if not on the shelf. All other items will not. We will call you when these items arrive in the store after the party. We cannot guarantee a timeframe but will do our best to get them in as soon as possible. We are limiting orders for items not in stock to these lines as they have been good about keeping stock and not having prolonged backorders. We unfortunately cannot say the same for most other lines.
What does this mean? This means that if you place a $300 order for SkinCeuticals and are one of the first 75 people to place a pre-order, you will get 15 percent off and a swag bag. However, if you are one of the first 75 people to place a pre-order and order $300 worth of Kiehl’s and we can only pull $250 worth of your order from the shelves on March 27, you will get 15 percent off, but will not make the $250 amount after the discount and so you will not get a swag bag. So, order accordingly. If this isn’t clear – call us. We expect to get many orders on March 24. Don’t wait to place your order if you want a bag. Oh, and all sales are final. They have to be… we give you big bags full of stuff and we don’t keep track of what’s in each bag. We can’t have people taking items out and then trying to return items from their purchase (trust me, it’s been tried.) So, please don’t order, don’t participate, if you have any plan, thought, vague contemplation of having to return something. We won’t accept it. You’ll get mad. We’ll be sorry, but firm. You’ll write a nasty Yelp review. We’ll respond that we’re sorry, but our policy was clear… you get the point. Let’s just not.
For those of you who don’t know what a swag bag from Bellacara is, well, I don’t even know what to say other than what is life on Mars like? Okay, just kidding… kind of. It’s literally the best gift with purchase in the history of gift with purchases… mic drop. A bag filled with deluxe samples and full size products with a value of hundreds of dollars. You want it, trust me, you want it.
We will have a form to fill out available on March 22. We will need you to call with your credit card number so it can be placed safely in our system. We will not be taking it down on paper and we will not be allowing payment separate from the pre-order. No credit card, no pre-order… no pre-order, no bag. Sorry to be so militaristic, but every year I get yelled at by someone who says it wasn’t clear. So, please, if it isn’t clear – call me – but not on March 27. By then, it’s too late, call us now!
I love you all. I really can’t wait until we can all party together again like it’s 2019!
- About the boutique
Located in historic Old Town Alexandria, for more than 17 years Bellacara has been Northern Virginia's preeminent boutique for high end cosmetic, skincare and haircare products. At Bellacara you will find premiere beauty products that have been carefully edited by the store’s owner, Angela Sitilides, who personally tests all the products sold in store. The boutique carries only the best product lines – Kiehl’s, Jouer, Dr. Dennis Gross, Christophe Robin, Moroccan Oil, Bumble & Bumble, Fresh, Molton Brown, Skinceuticals, Smashbox, Stila, Mario Badescu, Clarins, Dermalogica, Kevyn Aucoin, Kai, Child, St. Tropez, Smith and Cult, and many more.
1000 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.299.9652
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