A little sliver of Hollywood, Calif., right here in Cortez?
That's what new business owner Denise Nunez had in mind when she opened her clothing store.
Nunez, 19, opened A Bit of Heaven on Jan. 15 and it's created a buzz ever since.
"I always wanted to open a clothing store," she said.
As a California native from Hollywood, she grew up in the heart of fashion and its trendy style climate. She wanted to bring a little of that Hollywood style to Cortez. But she also wanted to keep her merchandise affordable.
"I wanted to have a store where people wouldn't have to pay so much for jeans or quality clothes," she said.
Nunez describes her inventory as merchandise for high school girls to thirtysomething women. She carries a large selection of women's apparel, accessories and shoes, and she said that she recently started stocking plus-sized clothing as well. She said that she brings in new inventory very month.
Making fashion available and affordable for the trendy fashionista was always her goal, and she says that nothing in her store costs more than $40.
Nunez says that fashion and family were the two driving forces in her opening A Bit of Heaven. Her husband and in-laws have already made a large impact on Cortez's business environment.
She's married to Victor Nunez, Jr., who manages Beny's Restaurant and her father-in-law Victor Nunez, Sr., who owns Beny's, recently opened One Stop Taqueria.
"I really have a great family here in Cortez. My husband really helped a lot," she said.
But a business-savvy family is not limited to just her husband and in-laws though. Denise Nunez said her grandmother worked in retail for many years and her aunt owns a pair of clothing stores in Texas.
"They are known for restaurants," she said about her in-laws, "and my side of the family is known more for retail," Nunez said. "I kind of grew up around retail sales."
She admits that it was a bit of a culture shock when she moved from the bright lights of Tinsel Town to the quaint confines of Cortez. But she says Cortez and Montezuma County are now home.
She and Victor Jr. have a son, Elijah, who will turn 3 in July.
Nunez hopes that her store gives women another retail choice when it comes to shopping in Cortez. She doesn't look at her store as competition with the other women's clothing stores in Cortez.
"I wanted to give Cortez different options," she said.
The Hollywood influence can be seen in her merchandise but it can mostly be seen in the large windows at her store.
The fashionista-friendly mannequins, attired in Nunez's latest merchandise have created a buzz around town.
"A lot of people said they really like them, they say they are unique. They really get the attention of people passing by," she said about the eye-catching mannequins.
From a business perspective, the mannequins have indeed done their job in grabbing people's attention.
"People have really seemed to respond to the merchandise, she said.
She admits that it was a little scary and nerve-racking to open a new business, but she was confident that she could do it and again credited both sides of her family for helping make it happen.
Located at 4 W. Main St., A Bit of Heaven is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 565-0761.
