Effortless Elegance: Dahlia Traveling Boutique Brings Coastal Chic to Sarasota
Dahlia Strong’s boutique offers stylish, comfortable, and age-appropriate fashion with a touch of Italian flair
What we wear is an essential expression of who we are and how we want the world to see us. It can be challenging to look fashionable while remaining comfortable in our tropical climate, but our neighbor Dahlia Strong has perfected the art of casual chicness—Sarasota style.
Dahlia owns Dahlia Traveling Boutique, conveniently located at 1924 S. Osprey Ave #201-D. The boutique is easy to find on the second floor via the elevator, on the backside of Morton’s Market. Parking is plentiful in the area, and it is fun to combine a shopping spree with a stop at Morton’s for coffee and snacks.
“We specialize in fashion-forward Coastal Casual Clothing, with touches of Boho, Chic, and comfort clothing that can be worn from day to night,” says Dahlia, “The majority of our clothing is Italian-made.”
“The boutique specializes in addressing our customers’ needs to look chic and fabulous with comfort...perfect for our Sarasota lifestyle.”
Dahlia opened her first boutique in Carlsbad, California, 15 years ago. Sparked by a personal realization that as she aged, she wanted to wear trendy fashions but needed to find pieces that would be age-appropriate, she decided to open a boutique with that philosophy and see what the response would be. She quickly grew her clientele with a strong following of like-minded ladies.
Having grown up in Los Angeles and studied Interior Design at UCLA, Dahlia’s first venture into retail was when she opened a furniture store in West Hollywood, California. It was called Iron Maiden and specialized in custom iron furniture for interior and exterior applications. “We had a great clientele that included locals and celebrities( it was LA!).,” said Dahlia. She later ventured out to Palm Springs and redid homes. Dahlia and her husband, Dominic, eventually moved to San Diego, where she launched her boutique business.
They moved to Sarasota 2.5 years ago to enjoy the Floridian lifestyle. Soon after, Dahlia decided the time was right to open a new studio. Since she shopped almost daily at Morton’s Market and lives just a few blocks away, she found the perfect location for her new venture upstairs in Morton’s Plaza.
Dahlia’s approach to fashion and styling her clientele is based on sourcing trendy, comfortable, and age-appropriate clothing that women can enjoy wearing while maintaining a “simple and chic” aesthetic. Dahlia says, “I enjoy styling my customers according to their needs, body shape, and events they will be attending. We receive new styles every week to keep things fresh and exciting.”
“I love to bring beauty into the world, encourage women, and support women into feeling their best. We've all had challenges and hardships. It's important to be reminded that we're not alone on this journey.”
Dahlia and Dominic love exploring our local culinary scene, enjoying the spectacular Siesta sunsets, and attending drum circles in their free time.
The boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and closed Sunday and Monday.