Bomb'diggity

© Cherry Bomb Boutique

I don’t know if they do it for everyone, but I was offered a glass of champagne within minutes of walking into Cherry Bomb, South Beach's latest "it" store. Add to that ambient lighting coming from red glossy chandeliers, and well-thought-out displays of clothing, jewelry and shoes and you know why this sexy, elegant boutique has been such a hit.

Owner Rosie Leon opened the boutique with her mother-in-law. “We both love fashion, we both love clothes," she says and adds with a laugh, "it was supposed to be fun but now it’s turned into work!" But it's work she loves, creating an environment that’s all about her customers' shopping experience.

With Cherry Bomb, Leon wanted to create a relevant, germane boutique on Alton Road that offered women an alternative to the Beach’s popular Lincoln Road shopping corridor. She also wanted to create a cross-generational retail emporium (she’s 26, her mother-in-law is 52) where mothers and daughters could buy trendy, contemporary clothing that looks stylish – not tacky – on both. “I’ve literally given women an entire wardrobe for the season when they walk out of here.” With pieces priced between $20-$400, that’s easy to do.

Clothing lines include Ella Moss, Aaron Ashe, Splendid, Gemma and Dolce Vita. Shoes range from styles by Sergio Zelcer to Chinese Laundry. The jewelry displayed in pristine white cases is a mix of local designers like Tiffany Audrey to pieces Leon finds herself at trade shows and through wholesalers. And then there are the beautiful, luxurious Voluspa candles that not only provide a delicious scent when you first walk into the store but add an extra layer of elegance to an already chic, but warm, setting.

“I’m obsessed with candles,” Leon explains, “and vowed if I ever had a store one day, I would sell candles.” Plus, she says, women pick them up as great last-minute gifts for friends on their way to a dinner party or shower.

Clothes? Shoes? Candles? Champagne? What else could a woman need? Oh yeah, chocolate. No word yet on when they'll start to sell chocolate.