A popular boutique with a storied retail pedigree in Palm Beach is temporarily closed for a major renovation.
C. Orrico will be shut down for the off-season, returning in November in a smaller space in its current building, co-owner Kathie Orrico told the Palm Beach Daily News.
The owners have recently opened a location of C. Orrico on South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, joining the company’s other stores in Juno Beach and Highlands, North Carolina. But the Palm Beach location remains a priority as the company’s flagship, Oricco said.
The shop opened in 1985 in a spot on the east side of South County Road before moving in 1998 to 336 S. County Road near Town Hall on the west side of the street. Over the years, it earned a reputation as a bastion of apparel with a Palm Beach flair.
Since its founding, the Palm Beach store has served four generations of customers, Orrico said. “Everyone means so much to us. We’re not going anywhere,” she added.
The business is co-owned by Orrico and two of her sisters, Colleen Orrico and Casey Orrico, Palm Beachers themselves who are credited with helping to bring the Lilly Pulitzer brand back to town during its mid-1990s resurgence. The three were longtime friends of the brand’s late eponymous founder, and purchased 336 S. County Road from a corporation controlled by Pulitzer in 1999, according to county records.
“We believe that we’re the keepers of the culture,” Kathie Orrico said of the boutique’s fashion history. “When Lilly came back into business, it was us she wanted to continue her legacy.”
The Lilly Pulitzer brand was out of business for about a decade until 1993, when Sugartown Worldwide Inc. bought the brand rights. Lilly Pulitzer gave her blessing to the venture, and the company revived the once out-of-fashion label. C. Orrico was chosen by Pulitzer to lead the relaunch, Orrico said.
“Lilly has given us so many gifts in her life,” she said. “She was an incredible person. Everything about her was so delightful.”
C. Orrico launched other lines, among them Nanette Lepore, Trina Turk and Milly, Orrico said.
It’s been a privilege to watch Palm Beach’s children grow up, and to have them stay in touch and bring in their children to shop at the store, she said.
“We’re a part of the community,” she said. “The town means so much to us, and the people.”
The shop offered sale prices in the days leading up to its temporary closure on May 30. When the store reopens, it will be in about half the space of the previous boutique, Orrico said.
That coincides with a pending sale of the building from the Orricos’ 336 Partners Inc. to a new owner, she said. She declined to discuss the sale price or identify the owner.
The renovation will mark the sisters’ first major update to the store, Orrico said, and will show the community they continue to be invested in a business ingrained in Palm Beach life.
“That’s everything this store is about: All the little girls who grew up in this store and becoming moms and coming back,” she said. “Everybody means so much to us. It leaves us with a smile.”
While the building “was a joy for 28 years,” it also is a lot to deal with ongoing upkeep, plumbers, electricians and other contractors, she said.
“For us, it’s not about owning the building. It’s about owning the culture,” she said. “We feel we have an authenticity, of what Palm Beach really means. And now we have it on both sides of the bridge.”
The Orricos about two months ago opened the new boutique at 3315 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. That shop was the result of an opportunity that, like the opportunity to sell their Palm Beach building, felt serendipitous to the sisters, Orrico said.
“It’s such a great little neighborhood, being next to Lynora’s (restaurant) and 16 Handles (ice cream store),” she said.
Business even in the off-season has been brisk, she noted. “A lot of people come into town after high season, so they can really enjoy the town,” Orrico said. “You really get to know everyone because you have a little more time to spend with customers. This last May was really great.”
When the Palm Beach boutique reopens — the sisters are targeting an October date, Orrico said — shoppers will find a refreshed space. The store will sell the same lines for which it has become so well-known, she said, including Bella Tu, Bindu, Camilla Benedetti, Hale Bob and Elizabeth James. Other brands include Love the Label, Preppy Girl, Sail to Sable, Sheridan French, Amanda Uprichard, Solei Sea, Bindu and, of course, Lilly Pulitzer.
“Everything is going to be really good,” Orrico said. “It was already good, and it’s going to be even better.”
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Longtime Palm Beach boutique temporarily closes for renovations
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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