Bettina’s Boutique: Different Location, Same Quality and Service For Decades

Sometimes economic recession and having a tinier store can be a positive.     

Just ask Sandy Trachtenberg.

 “I’m happy to be downsizing,” said the owner of , which shares store space with Ronnie Crispino’s Raven Classic Hair at 388 Cedar Lane after a moving process that took roughly a month. “A bigger store is a lot of expense; the economy is so-so. This cuts my costs.”

But not quality. Bettina’s Boutique is an interesting collection of beautiful clothing, small handbags and purses, and scarves made from natural fabrics, and artsy jewelry like necklaces and bracelets.

“I like to keep a different variety," said Trachtenberg. "An interesting collection of stuff that’s wearable all year round.

“I’m excited. Teaneck has been my home for a long time, and my customers are a mixture of locals and a lot of out of towners. We appeal to a certain woman, who wals in and says, 'This is my kind of store.'”

Trachtenberg has been a savvy shopper since she was a young girl, she said.

“My mom took me when I was 10 to a trade show at the Hotel McAlpin in New York City. I remember I looked in each room to see what people were selling,” she said.

 Her mom, Bettina Trachtenberg, first opened the original Bettina’s Boutique on Queen Anne Road in 1967 after starting out by selling items from home.

“It was kind of a fluke,” Trachtenberg recalled. “Friends liked what she was wearing (the types of clothes), and so she started selling that type of clothing.” After a few years at the original location, Bettina’s moved to a bigger Queen Anne Road store in 1970 and remained there until December 2010. “My mom was named a pioneer in an article by The Record back in 1970. Of all the boutiques mentioned in that article, ours is the last one left.”

Ironically, the article mentioned a boutique housed at 388 Cedar Lane, Bettina’s new location.

In a way, Sandy Trachtenberg’s full time involvement in Bettina’s Boutique was a fluke as well.

“My mom and I lived in the city, and I worked in the city. Well, my mom got sick one day and asked me to open the store, and I enjoyed it. I had done career wise what I wanted to do, so my mom made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and the next day I gave my two week notice.”

“Many say my prices are very fair,” said Sandy Trachtenberg, who enters her 27th year with the 43 year-old Bettina’s Boutique. “The price range depends on what the item is. My customers tell me they go to lots of different places and, if you like this type of clothing and jewelry, it’s not so easy to find.”

Bettina’s Boutique

388 Cedar Lane

(201) 837-3111

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