Business & Tech

Bad News/Good News: Designer Fashion Store Moda Bellissima to Close

Want the good news first? 

There's a big, big sale at Moda Bellissima at 107 Locust Ave...and maybe if people go crazy buying things at it, Santa Cruz will keep a fashionable designer clothing store for women. 

But, the bad news: owner Jo Minola says she's going to close it at the end of the year. Minola, who helped style women's clothing at Neiman Marcus in the Stanford Mall,  took on one of life's biggest challenges: opening your dream business exactly two years ago.

Now, she says, it just wasn't earning enough. 

"I just feel sorry for those women who really wanted something geared to their needs and never got a chance to experience my store and service!" she said Thursday.  "Unfortunate."

When she opened, she hoped to reach an underserved Santa Cruz market: "There are plenty of stores downtown for UCSC students," she says. "But not many for their parents or teachers. Too many women have to travel over the hill to find the kind of style they want. We want to give that to them here."

Moda's space was the former home of Tom Teifer's women's store. 

She hopes to clear away half the inventory by the end of November, so her Black Friday starts now. 

Read about her ambitious store here. 


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