You heard right, Focus on Wallingford is back! There’s so many businesses to feature we weren’t sure where to begin so we went with one of our favorite places, which is located right in the center of it all. The Dressing Room is a high fashion boutique with great prices and customer service. Its storefront is right on the corner of Main and Center Street at the top of the hill. The owner, Chris and I, have become friends while working on a number of projects together and I admire her love for fashion, approach to client relationships and work ethic. We met up with Chris and asked her to tell us a little about her store, read below!

“With 25+ years of business experience both in the corporate world and as a business owner, it is a joy to incorporate my love of fashion, my passion to empower women and my creativity into The Dressing Room Boutique. I have worked in the world of finance with a fortune 100 company as well as in the position of CFO for an insurance brokerage that my husband founded. I then followed my passion into the world of fashion and currently am the CEO of CM Clothing, Inc. which includes my clothing line Gogirlwrapperz, my retail store The Dressing Room Boutique and my online store The Dressing Room 24-7. www.thedressingroom24-7.com. I just recently partnered with Shoptiques.com which is a global e-commerce site of the best boutiques from all over the world. Just last week we shipped our first order to the UK!

I discovered Wallingford when my oldest daughter Ashley, was attending Choate Rosemary Hall. I loved the charm of the town and have come to love the multi-generational families that live here. It is a privilege to have earned the trust of so many women who come to us to dress them for some of the most important and memorable days of their lives. Whether it’s a wedding, anniversary, reunion, gala or any special occasion where any old dress just won’t do. Our customers know they can rely on us to put them in something that makes them feel beautiful.

In 2012, I was able to expand the store when the frame shop next door went out of business. We were able to double the square footage of the store, add dressing rooms and expand our formal wear offerings. Now half of the store is dedicated to sportswear, jewelry, accessories and shoes and the other half dresses and gowns. We carry everything from denim to evening gowns and all things in between.

One of the things I love about being a business owner is collaborating with other businesses and organizations in town to promote each other and improve the community. Recently we held our 6^th Annual Fundraiser in collaboration with The Rotary for the Liberty Bank Thanksgiving Day Project. We put on a Fashion Show and donate a portion of all sales to feed the homeless at Thanksgiving. It was a huge success and a record breaking year. I am thrilled to be able to make a nice donation to such a great cause.

We have some fun events coming up in the month of December with the Holiday Stroll in conjunction with Wallingford Center Inc. and a fun ladies night we are hosting with local Fashion Blogger and makeup artist Jenna Poitras. Just a few of the fun things we will be participating with other folks and organizations in the near future.

Please stop in just to introduce yourself, browse around and let us help you in any way we can. Our saying is “Enter as Strangers and Leave as Friends.” 

Make sure to poke your head into The Dressing Room this holiday season and keep an eye on the blog to see what other Wallingford businesses we feature in the coming weeks! 

If you are a Wallingford business owner and interested in being featured in FOW in the coming weeks, feel free to contact us HERE.

Two of my favorite senior sessions (and the two most popular) we offer here at Impressions are the "Art" and "Fashion" sessions. They allow both myself and the senior to get outside and express ourselves a little more than when we are in the studio. In years past our senior season has slowed down or completely come to an end by late September due to yearbook deadlines. The last two years though, the deadlines have gotten later and busier summer schedules have allowed us to book through October and get outside with the fall foliage! It has been so much fun showcasing the colors and variety of fall fashion. 

On the Impressions property I try to decorate and utilize  the landscaping as much as possible. Whether it’s including the hanging plants or changing out the potted plants to mums, I think keeping things fresh and seasonal helps add some variety to the images. When going on location I love the challenge of showing up and choosing the most dynamic angles to show off the colors and light of the season. I know how happy it makes our clients as well. One of the perks of living in New England is the change of the leaves. Every season provides a different energy to your images but theres something about the feeling of fall that I love the most.

Death isn't necessarily a topic many people are comfortable talking about and funerals are even less of a discussed matter. Matthew Bailey, the current owner of B.C. Bailey Funeral Home provides knowledge and comfort to help ease your mind during difficult times. He has followed in the footstpes of his father and grandfather and has seen what needs to be done to make a hard times a little easier. I have known Matthew for a few years and appreciate his friendship as well as his approach to business. (Sidenote: his family portrait is hanging in the Impressions lobby after our spring refresh!) You can read a little bit about what Matt had to say about B.C. Bailey below!

"The B.C. Bailey Funeral Home is Wallingford longest continually operated company. Carl W. Bailey bought the Griswold Funeral Home on Center Street in 1912. He renamed the business C.W. Bailey Funeral Home and ran it until his death in 1944. Benjamin C. Bailey followed in his father's footsteps taking over the business and changing the name to B.C. Bailey Funeral Home and moving the firm to South Elm Street in 1952. Ben ran the funeral home until his retirement in1977. Ben's son Robert took over the business after his father's retirement and ran it for 46 years. He and his family lived above the funeral home on South Elm Street. Except for the years attending college and four years in the United States Air force, he lived continuously in Wallingford. He married Darlene Cannata and they raised 3 children, Michele (Chaudhry), Michael, and Matthew. 

Matthew currently serves as president of the company and continues the family legacy of service to people during their time of need. After serving the community for over a century, Matt says his family has seen many changes in the nature of funeral service. "When we started, there was not even a crematory located in the State of Connecticut. In the rare case that someone chose cremation, we would have to drive to Ferncliff Cemetery in New York. Today, we have more families that select cremation over traditional burial."

Also changing is the way society approaches religion and "traditional" services. "We also are the first firm in the area to embrace having Certified Celebrants on staff for those families who are not part of a church or would like something other than traditional services." This provides an unique opportunity for families to have a meaningful, personalized life tribute that allows them to begin the healing process, even if they do not wish to embrace traditional styles of services. 

Matt attributes the length of the families presence and long term success to having a professional and caring staff and putting the needs of client families first. "At the end of the day, when people see the sign in front of our firm, my name is on it. That's a lot of pressure to make sure you are taking care of people as best as possible. I have no more valuable possession than my name and good reputation.""

Thank you for reading today's FOW and as always, make sure to comment below or contact me here if you are interested in having your Wallingford buisiness feautred!

At Impressions, we are very proud to offer a variety of session packages but our favorites are the ones that allow us to get outside for a bit. This senior season in particular, we have had the opportunity to go to some amazing locations!

One location we always look forward to photographing in is Gouveia Vineyard. Not only is it right up the street from the studio but no matter how many times we go, the images are always different! There's something about the constantly changing light and breeze that adds instant variety to the sessions.

Another location we have been to this year and always love going to is Meigs Point at Hammonasset Beach State Park. Any beach is wonderful in our eyes (the sound of the crashing waves, the breeze, salty air...I could go on for days...) but Meigs Point has all of the perks of an oversized beach (rocks, sea grass, sand, beautiful sunsets and light...) but is on a nice small scale that doesn't require a ton of walking.

If cars are your thing, we have found Beaumont Farm on E Center Street in Wallingford is a crowd favorite. Between the rusted antique truck and ever changing garden of flowers everyone finds a backdrop or angle they prefer.

Sometimes, the best location is right in your backyard! A lot of our senior clients live in homes with acres of beautiful property. One senior this year, lives on a farm and he invited us over for his outdoor portion. There we were able to capture some images of him with his dog and in different corners of his property that have always been his favorite places to hang out. We definitely encourage "at home" on location sessions!

Another Wallingford favorite is right in downtown, believe it or not! Something about the countless angles, backdrops and corners that allow for ever-changing variety and match of style to each senior we bring. Another "downtown" that's that isn't pictured in this collage, is New Haven. Both areas have so much to offer between buildings and school campuses (of course referring to Choate and Yale) There's so much to choose from.

Last but not least, this senior season we were able to photograph at Goodspeed Opera House for the first time! When the senior mentioned the location I was not only excited to go somewhere new but excited because it was a place I had never even thought of before! I look forward to going back to this location because there are still so many images I am excited to make, but didn't have time for in our session!

If you couldn't tell, going on location is definitely our favorite thing about senior season. There's just so much opportunity to keep your session personal and custom to who you are! If you have an idea for a location for any type of session, don't ever hesitate to ask! We would love to explore and help create beautiful photographs with you in places that mean so much!