In 2011, while strolling down Eglinton Avenue West, Melissa Guido noticed the chic store window at Bella and went inside. Her timing was impeccable. At 24, the petite brunette had just received her Fashion Business diploma from George Brown and needed a new job. Little did she know that someday soon, this very store would be hers.
“I walked in off the street and started chatting with Naomi at the front desk, who turned out to be the owner,” Melissa recalls. “After a few minutes, she asked if I wanted to work there and on a whim, I said yes.”
About to go on maternity leave, Naomi needed someone to take the reigns. It was Melissa’s dream come true. “I ended up learning what it’s like to run a store without taking on any risk.”
A year later, the two women went into partnership. Then, in April 2014, when Naomi was about to have her second child, Melissa bought her out.
