“It’s like shopping in your best friend’s closet,” said Alessandra Coffenberg, the owner of Piper, a cozy boutique that opened last month next to Adolf Bieker Hair Studio on 34th St. between Walnut and Sansom.
The chocolate walls and decorative jewelry displays certainly look fancier than most closets, but the friendly employees help customers browse the racks and maintain an inviting atmosphere.
Coffenberg first opened a Piper Boutique on the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. She used to work in finance and fashion and decided that opening a boutique was the best pursuit to combine both of her interests.
Before picking her second Piper location, Coffenberg toured 17 schools and narrowed her choices down to Yale, Penn, Harvard and Syracuse. Penn’s ideal combination of students and business professionals won her support.
“The response [at Penn] has been through the roof,” said Coffenberg. Maybe it’s the store’s affordability—mostly every item’s under $100—or maybe it’s the eclectic mix of clothes that you could wear to class, an internship or a club.
And there’s no need to fret about that girl in your marketing class having the same silky blazer as you. Piper only orders six of each item, so when those leather leggings are gone, they’rereally gone.
Piper’s collection of international and domestic designers includes J Brand, Gorjana jewelry, Ark and Co., and Urban Expressions handbags. Following the boutique’s recent success, Coffenberg hopes to add new shoe designers like Sperry and Hunter. She also hopes to introduce Piper to new college campuses in the future.
With her store’s versatile pieces, Coffenberg aims to impress “the young professional,” which she defines as women between the ages of 18 and 30. The store’s small size keeps the environment less intimidating and crowded than large-scale department stores. Neighboring stores Ann Taylor Loft and Urban Outfitters cannot compete with Piper’s personal customer service experiencewith, even though Urban Outfitters carries some of the same designers that Piper does.
“We’re always trying to bring in new brands while maintaining our same style,” said Coffenberg.