By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
The shingle still hasn’t been hung outside yet, but Amore Deux is already holding space for those who want to look good and feel good too.
The new boutique has opened in the North area and is as eclectic as its multi-talented owner, Tonya Mack. It’s located at 1819 Del Paso Boulevard.
In business, location is everything. Resources are a scarce commodity in the North area and the same few folks always seem to get what is available. Mack wants to be a part of change.
“At what point do we really dig in and bring kind of a new blood, a new vibe, a new thing that’s going to benefit our people?” she said. “This boutique is so much more than ‘come buy clothes.’”
Amore Deux’s outer facade is so nondescript that if you blink, you’ll miss it. In doing so, however, you just may miss out on something special.
“This business has been in the making for over 20 years,” Mack shared. “I’ve been doing personal shopping, I’ve been hosting swaps. I did all of that while I was also working my 9 to 5, because this is really a passion project for me, because as a single mom raising two girls, I was fully committed that my children would have the very best that I could provide.”
That didn’t leave a lot left over for her, so she started thrifting and clothes swapping. “I started figuring out ways to still feel like I looked cute,” she said.
Admiring Mack’s personal style, people started giving her money to shop for them. She’s also a stylist and counts local models and business leaders among her clientele.
“Certainly that pride that I take in helping other sisters feel good about themselves has manifested into this brick and mortar space.”
Mack is expanding her repertoire at a time when other business owners have called it quits or suffered significant losses due to the pandemic. She opened the boutique after offering clothing virtually.
“You come into the boutique, you can sit down and put your feet up and throw your bag on the floor and be like ‘Whoo girl, my daughter got on my nerves today.’ I can’t do that online,” Mack shared.
“When you walk in and I see you’re not looking your happiest … next thing you know … we’re cackling and kekeing and when you walk out, you’ve left some of that burden here,” she added. “We’re not serving clothes, we’re serving mental health. You’re getting a true sisterhood experience when you come here.”
There’s room for others too to be rejuvenated.
“There’s a brother that I love dearly, who lost a close family member. He came and he dropped off some items and he shopped for his friend and he just sat. He just sat and he knew this was a space where he could do that. He shed some tears, no judgment,” Mack said. “We love on each other in this space, and we’re really proud of that.”
The boutique offers a wide range of pieces from blazers and coats to dresses and shoes. All are welcome and Mack features inclusive sizing, giving plus size fashion lovers a place to feel comfortable shopping. She specializes in vintage pieces.
“I grew up with a Christian mother and a Muslim father so I tend to have a little bit more of a modest style. I enjoyed a time not so long ago, when what we wore was far and wide apart from others. They could spit on us and call us names, but I promise you we were sharp and our babies were sharp,” Mack said.
“They put us through hell and what they did to us and how they tried to rob us of our dignity and our class and our elegance, they never were able to take that from our people. They never were able to really rob us of that no matter what they did. I give thanks to the ancestors for setting ‘the example of’ and so I wanted to bring some of that back,” she continued.
Mack’s racks offer more than older styles, but she enjoys showing clients how to turn a vintage piece with a modern one and make it uniquely theirs. She also employs a young, single mother as a seamstress who can tailor clothing to a specific client based on their personal preferences or her recommendations.
The local entrepreneur says she funded the boutique and remodel out of her own pocket, without the help of grants or pandemic-related loans. “This is all Tonya Mack and the elbow grease was Tonya Mack too.”
Transforming a dark space folks used to call “the haunted house” and bringing some light into it took some doing and they’re not done yet. There will soon be a private space for healing circles and grief therapy that will be led by Mack’s friend and business partner, LaDonna Lee, who operates Mantis Moon Temple.
“I love being in this space. I love what it’s become, seeing what I only saw in my head become a real thing,” Mack said.
For store hours, email Jnae@amoredeux.com.