When Manhattan Sideways team member Megan was introduced to owner Frank Sena, he immediately offered her a glass of Prosecco. When she politely declined, he responded in his thick Brooklyn accent, “Okay then. How about some Moscato?”
As Megan seated herself on a rustic plush couch, Frank explained that he always wants to make his customers feel at home, a quality owed to his Italian heritage. Looking around the store, the extravagant jeweled headdresses reflected off the glass in their cases, and Megan could not help but gawk at the collection of laces. Each one had a note to indicate who else had worn the same lace pattern, be it Céline Dion or Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, on her wedding. Sposabella Lace specializes in fine fabrics and veils for bridal and evening wear, and also carries glittering tiaras and costume jewelry to complete the ensemble. Their delicate lace has been sought out by many celebrities for their wedding attire, and the store has been very successful over the years. Frank made it clear, though, that it was quite the journey to get to where he is now.
In 1975, after receiving his degree in labor relations, Frank was working on Long Island. After quitting his job, he was in search of something new. When a friend of Frank’s suggested that he rent this storefront and start his own business, Frank was dumbfounded. “What would I even sell?” he said. When his friend proposed that he sell trimmings, Frank could only respond, “what is that?”
After giving it some thought, he turned down a high-paying job offer at a corporate-owned printing company in favor of buying this tiny store. As Frank described the opening of his shop and his growth from selling trimmings to laces to headdresses, he mentioned several guardian angels. One was the owner of the successful fabric place next door, who promised to send his customers to Frank’s store. Another was a man who wandered into the shop one day and offered to sell Frank an assortment of beautiful trims for a low price – those trims attracted dozens of customers on the very first day that he displayed them in his window.
As Frank recounted his story, he would exclaim again and again, “Look, I didn’t know what I was doing. But to make a long story short….” Each time I heard those words, I smiled to myself. Who would have guessed that someone who “didn’t know” what they were doing could create one of the most popular bridal stores in New York? It wasn’t long before Frank began making headpieces for the original owner of Kleinfeld - the well known store where thousands of brides flock - in Brooklyn, and doing custom jobs for celebrities including Liberace and 1983 Miss America winner, Vanessa Williams. His business has evolved into an esteemed euphoria of beautiful bridal wear, where he takes pride in having people walk out his door with their dream.
In 2013, after thirty-eight years on 40th Street, Frank’s lease expired. Sposabella’s new space on 37th Street is three times the size, allowing it to have the additional resources of a large workspace downstairs. In Sposabella’s new home, Frank is focused on reinventing the shop to capture the people on this block.
