By Kaitlin Candelaria
Bezshan Dolatabadi has always dreamed of owning his own store.
Dolatabadi, an employee of the local boutique Betsy Prince for more than 30 years, is now seeing his dreams come true. As of the beginning of this month, Dolatabadi is the new owner of Betsy Prince.
“Eight to ten years ago, Betsy and Peter semi-retired, so it increased my buying and my responsibilities and I’ve been basically running it like it was my own now for all these years,” he said. “It seemed like a good time to keep traditions going. They basically raised me in retail – a lot of what I learned, I learned from Betsy and Peter.”
Dolatabadi fell in love with fashion at 16 years old when he took his first job as a shoe stock boy.
“When I came to work here, I was very fulfilled. But as time went on and I became more involved in all areas of it, I certainly wanted to have my own place,” he said. “I’ve always felt very comfortable with the way we do business. It’s an individual approach and zeroing in on people and how they want to look.”
Dolatabadi said he is looking forward to adding more contemporary looks to the collection and using social media tools to connect the younger generation with the “unique and individual-driven Betsy Prince” look. He said he also plans to maintain and improve upon the store’s reputation for customer service.
“We’ve always been the best, and now we want to be the best of the best,” he said. “When you come into the store, you will be given a tour guide, so to speak, that will help you find a complete look that you are comfortable with not only in how it looks, but also in your price range.”
Dolatabadi said the face of retail has changed significantly since he began his career, but his niche is still there.
“You don’t get customer service online or in a department store,” he said. “You don’t get a hands-on understanding of what you want and what look you need. We can be versatile when it comes to people’s budgets and their tastes.”
Dolatabadi has enjoyed a lot of support and outpouring from community members excited about the store’s new moves.
“I’ve been here for 34 years, so I’ve grown up with a lot of these people and their children,” he said. “Betsy will always be part of the inspiration for the store and (Betsy and Peter) will always be friends of the store. We’ve had the most wonderful response with people’s best wishes and congratulations.” ϖ
