Former Dior publicist Dianne Vavra opens vintage boutique in Huntington
When it’s time to clean out a closet, most people bring a few bags to Goodwill, or maybe have a garage sale. Dianne Vavra opened a store.
The Huntington resident, who was vice president of public relations at Dior Beauty for many years before opening her own PR firm, considers her new boutique, Vavra New York, “a little fantasyland.” The lush jewel box of a store on New York Avenue in Huntington, where a barber shop once stood, opened in early March with an eclectic mix of vintage jewelry and accessories and a carefully curated assortment of indie beauty brands.
“Every brand has a story; every vintage piece has a story,” says Vavra. “I wanted to create an atmosphere where everyone coming in becomes part of that story,” she continues.
All the jewelry and accessories were once hers. “This is not a consignment store,” she stresses. Vavra fell in love with vintage as a young woman and the merchandise she’s selling reflects her love of collecting. It’s not about signed or designer pieces, she says. “I collect based on what I find visually appealing…things that I find pretty and beautiful.” Of course, there are designer handbags — a chocolate Chanel tote, $1,995, a burgundy Cartier doctor’s bag, $1,650, she secretly hopes “no one will buy because I love it so much.”
But there is more reasonably-priced merchandise as well. Flashy costume jewelry — we’re talking blingy brooches, bangles, necklaces and rings — starts at $45. Then there’s the treasure chest, filled with small plastic bags of jewelry — a couple of rings, say, or a pendant — for $10 a bag. There’s a $10 beauty box as well, a sampling of brands that Vavra has gathered after trying everything first. “I have to know they’re effective,” she says. Don’t expect lines you might find at Sephora or Ulta. Products here range from Ilona, a Hungarian skin care brand dating back to the ‘70s, to Flora Mirabilis, a facial oil created by a West Hollywood aesthetician working out of a bungalow once owned by Charlie Chaplin. And Vavra has the U.S. exclusive to Aleph, a New Zealand makeup line that stresses sustainability. Beauty products run from $5 for a lip balm to $185 for a fragrance.
Vavra New York is located at 188 New York Ave., in Huntington. The shop is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.; vavranewyork.com.
