BOCA owner Denise Mangielli rings up a customer at the store on Monument. The store returned to Pacific Palisades on August 1.
BOCA Returns to Pacific Palisades
BOCA, a woman’s clothing store that was located on Swarthmore before Palisades Village construction razed the storefronts, has returned to Pacific Palisades.
The store re-opened yesterday (August 1) in the 970 Monument Building (in the 1,400-sq.-ft. space formerly occupied by Palisades Hi-Tech).
Located next to Sweet Rose Creamery and close to Pinocchio’s, BOCA was busy late in the afternoon, and there were numerous customers in the store shopping.
“I’m tired, but it’s good,” said co-owner Denise Mangimelli, a Palisades native, on her first full day back.
According to a 2015 Palisades News story, “Caruso Updates Swarthmore Progress,” Caruso executive Michael Gazzano said, “All the existing businesses (including Benton’s, Maison Giraud, Michelle International, BOCA, Puzzle Zoo, First National Bank and Carly K) will have to relocate, retire or make other arrangements until November 2017—the projected opening date for Caruso’s project.
“Everybody has been invited to come back, and we hope they all return,” Gazzano continued. “They will be given plenty of notice before demolition begins.”
Mangimelli and her husband, Mike, moved their store to Montana Avenue (at 11th Street), with the idea they would eventually return to the Palisades.
In an October 2016 article, writer Laurie Rosenthal described their business on Montana. “The clothing in BOCA is casual-chic” and “BOCA is well suited for those who loathe shopping in big department stores or malls, as Denise and her staff do the editing for customers, carefully choosing select pieces from myriad brands.”
Denise originally opened her clothing store on Antioch Street in 1994 and relocated to Swarthmore on 2004 after she and her husband completed extensive renovation on two storefronts, one for women and one for men, in the 1950s building. The Mangimellis’ store space on Montana is now for lease.
Stop by and welcome Denise and Mike back. Their building has ample parking.