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Visette on E Pike wants to be Capitol Hill’s first dress shop

Visette opened Sunday -- just in time for holiday parties (Image: CHS)

Visette opened Sunday — just in time for holiday parties (Image: CHS)

Visal Sam (Image: CHS)

Visal Sam (Image: CHS)

Visal Sam wanted to make fashion her life and her new boutique Visette now open on E Pike, she’s making that dream come true.

“I’ve been in the corporate world for a long time, but I always wanted to be in fashion,” she said.

Visette will exclusively sell dresses.

“I’m a woman, I don’t want trendy — I want my own style,” she said, wanting to bring that same mentality to the dresses she will sell at Visette. “It’s going to be always unique.”

With beginning prices ranging from $100 to $2,000, the dresses on show will be of limited quantity but constantly being replaced with new styles.

Sam said she had long enjoyed helping to dress her friends, both men and women. She had many stories of them having success or merely receiving compliments based on her keen eye.

“Ultimately, I would love to have a client come in and say ‘Hey, I need to look like this,’”she said. “And I would know how to dress them.”

Entering an entrepreneurial endeavor has been thrilling for Sam. She does have a silent partner assisting financially, but everything else is coming from her own creative efforts. She is taking on the design of the storefront, the interior and the beginning marketing to make sure that it falls in line with her vision.

Sam said her varied experience in the corporate world has prepared her for the venture.

“I know how involved it is to run a business,” she said. “It’s very simple: If you’re good at what you do, you can be successful.”

Settling on Capitol Hill was a process, she said. She looked in most of the city’s neighborhoods. Either couldn’t find a place that satisfied all that she had in mind or she found difficulties working with building management.

“It took two years to find the location,” she said of her new E Pike digs at the corner of Pike and Bellevue, across from Victrola Coffee. “I scoped out every location and always it didn’t feel right or it didn’t work out. It really was a learning experience.”

She found something else when she saw her soon-to-be location.

“I really believe in destiny and connection and when I drove by it, I just felt something,” she said. “I live off Madison, so I’m a Capitol Hill girl,”

Currently, she still keeps her 9–5 job managing the international sale of alfalfa hay for Max International. But her passion — obviously — is fashion.

Visal Sam (Image: Visette Boutique)

Visal Sam (Image: Visette Boutique)

Preparing for the opening, she spent a month traveling, meeting with designers and suppliers to get her first batch of inventory in stock.

“I’ve been buying on trips all over the world,” she said, taking her fashion since with her for the ride. “It’s all about what I feel.”

She felt confident that her long history with fashion knowledge would find success for the new boutique.

“I was a girl always looking for things to wear,” she said. “I understand fabric, I understand cut, I understand shape. If you just like black, you’re going to look good in the black pieces we have in the store.”

She plans to host a grand opening for Visette soon. Stay tuned and learn more at visetteboutique.com.

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Mimi
Mimi
8 years ago

I really miss Value Village.

raaks
raaks
8 years ago
Reply to  Mimi

We all do :(

Tania
Tania
8 years ago

I stopped by this store. Designs are unique and you can find something that really fits your personality. I will go back when I need a dress for a special occasion. I dont think this is something I could wear everyday, except for coats (that are AMAZING)