By Maggie Cassidy
Once a cornerstone for the area’s priciest jeans, cutest tops and hippest trends, chic boutique Jasmine Sola will permanently close its doors Jan. 27, leaving many Northeastern students and Bostonians searching for a new one-stop fashion shop.
“It’s really sad that it’s closing. I’m actually really upset,” said sophomore Meagan Nolet, a human services major.
But even as sales reach 60 to 80 percent off original prices, she said she is staying away from the nearby Newbury Street and Prudential Center locations during their final days.
“I haven’t really taken advantage of the sales because it’s too overwhelming,” she said. “Every time I go in there, there are way too many people. So I’ve kind of stayed away from it recently.”
Italian immigrant Luciano Manganella founded the first Jasmine Sola location in Harvard Square in 1970. During the next 35 years, he transformed the boutique into a multi-million dollar business, but most of the profits went back into improving the store.
It worked: Jasmine Sola is credited with catapulting brands like BCBG, Guess, Juicy Couture, Steve Madden shoes and more into Bostonian’s hearts, according to Boston Magazine. And the store developed a reputation for providing a unique shopping experience in each of its locations – a truly “boutique” experience. Manganella reportedly hand-picked his merchandise and had a knack for drawing stylish men and women into the store. Following the Harvard Square location’s success, he opened more locations across the Northeast during the next three decades.
But in 2005, New York ‘ Co. purchased Jasmine Sola from Manganella for about $30 million, keeping him on as company president for $350,000 a year. Under the contract, $7 million of Manganella’s deal would be held in escrow.
While it appeared to be a good deal for all parties, the move backfired. With the change, the “boutique” effect faded. Even worse, expansion plans went awry, New York ‘ Co. stocks plummeted and Manganella was accused of sexual harassment by four former employees – allegations he strongly denies.
On June 30, 2006, just 19 days before Manganella was scheduled to receive his $7 million escrow, New York ‘ Co. terminated its contract with him and made plans to close all of Jasmine Sola’s 32 locations, including four in Boston and more across New England, New York and New Jersey.
Now, yellow, red and black signs reading “NEW PRICE REDUCTIONS” and “SUPER STOREWIDE SAVINGS!” cover the windows of Jasmine Sola shop fronts, and students and city shoppers have until the end of the month to grab one last stylish item from the store.
Katie Del Angel, a sophomore marketing major, started working at the Newbury Street Jasmine Sola when she moved to Boston to attend Northeastern in September 2006.
“When I walked in there, it was the cutest-looking store I’ve ever seen. It was just so happy looking,” she said. “They pretty much cater to every different style. I just kind of clicked really well with the people that worked there from the beginning.”
Del Angel found out about the closing in last October – a day she said was “devastating” for her and her fellow employees – and continued working there until the end of the year.
“I was crying, I really was,” she
said. “And then our manager left so it was even harder. For the most part, everyone had been there for a long time and it was pretty sad.”
While the store built a reputation for high-end fashion, it also was notorious for high prices. A customer could spend more than $200 on a pair of premium denim jeans, or $400 on a bag.
Still, the closing was almost as heart-breaking for many customers as it was for workers. Some students wonder where they will go for a rich variety of ahead-of-the-curve fashion.
“I’d like to see something else affordable take its place, something with not Newbury-style prices, like Forever 21 or Century 21 would be great,” said Hannah Lowery, a freshman international affairs major.
But others, like Nolet, are less optimistic about replacing a Boston fashion icon.
“I don’t think there’s another store that can be a comparison,” she said. “Sola had such a confined selection. It would be hard to find something similar to it.”
– Staff writer Jeanine Budd
contributed to this report.
