Cornering the Market

Unique invitations at your fingertips

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Celebration Bliss
2116 Merrick Ave., Merrick
(516) 867-1006, www.celebrationbliss.com

No need to travel to Manhattan for unique upscale event invitations. You can now find everything you need and imagine in Merrick. Leslie Barlow has blended nearly 20 years of industry experience and resources with her creativity to open Celebration Bliss. While her specialty is wedding invitations, she also carries invitations for bar and bat mitzvahs, communions, christenings, baby and bridal showers, engagement parties, holiday gatherings and many other types of celebrations.

Barlow was a Rockette, performing at Radio City Music Hall. Creative by nature, she also has a passion for crafts, particularly those in paper. After her first child was born, she traded in her dance shoes for an online business selling invitations. Over the next 17 years, she developed relationships with top designers from manufacturers from all over the country. While her website was highly successful, her real dream was to own a brick and mortar store, so she could deal with her customers hands-on, in a much more personalized manner.

The store is comfortable, cheerful and trendy. Vintage furnishings and a hardwood floor give it a give it cozy rustic feel, yet there’s plenty of light for easy browsing. On display are pretty stationary, handmade jewelry, albums and samples of invitations.

Customers are helped with finding exactly what they love, and then guided through the personalization process. The beauty of the store (as opposed to any website) is that people can both see and feel the invitations — the textures, quality of paper, etc. Barlow will work within all budgets. She sees her website now as an add-on to her store. The shop specializes in the gala events, such as weddings, while the website is more for wedding-related gatherings and other parties, such as a rehearsal dinner or shower.

Whether you shop at the store or use the website, you’ll be dealing with Leslie Barlow herself. Call the online customer service number, and she is the one you’ll speak with. Unlike most online invitation stores, where you fill out a template and immediately receive a computer-generated proof, Celebration Bliss uses a professional typesetter who will take more time to get it perfect.

Celebration Bliss opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and stays open until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 4 p.m. on Sunday. Appointments are available if needed. The website is accessible 24 hours a day.