I am super excited Pam Santorelli agreed to be the subject of my first LOCAL BIZ SPOTLIGHT!  You probably know Pam as the adorable owner of Habit, a chic and super stylish Boutique located on East Broadway in South Boston.  In addition to having some seriously fabulous taste I found out Pam was a Patriots Cheerleader for 4 years!!!  Read on to learn about how Pam got her start in Boston's Fashion scene and about the exciting new venture she has planned for your Southie shopping experience.

DMP: Tell us a little about yourself.  Where did you grow up? Where did you go to college and what was your first job out of college?

PS: I grew up in Woburn but have have lived in Southie for about 15 years. I went to college at Chamberlayne school of Design and Merchandising at Mt. Ida College for fashion merchandising and marketing. I was a Patriots cheerleader for 4 years and my first "fashion" job was at Louis Boston where I worked for 7 years.

DMP: What did you do before opening HABIT?  What is closet cleansing and how did you develop the skills to do it?

PS: Before opening Habit, I worked at Louis Boston in women's sales and started a personal shopping and closet business while researching the perfect spot for our boutique. I have always worked in the retail industry or marketing industry leading up to that position. At Louis, it was very much more of a personalized sales experience when working with clients. I learned a lot about the latest and greatest of the fashion world, a lot about design and fabrics and customer service. This gave me the knowledge of how to build a fashion relationship with a person and keep up with their their specific needs and changing lifestyle. This experience helped me to build a closet consult business and personal shopping business, as well as opening Habit. We work one on one with clients to help them either rebuild a wardrobe or help them to work with their existing collection, and enhance what they already have. A closet cleanse is always a good start. Shopping and recreating your own closet can be such a fun experience!

DMP: Have you always been interested in fashion/style?  Was your mom or another relative a fashionista?  How did you develop such great taste and who is your fave fashion icon?

PS: I've always enjoyed the fashion business and working with people and am lucky enough to do what I truly love. I always knew that I wanted to work in the fashion/retail world somehow, and dreamed about opening a boutique one day. My parents and family are all pretty stylish people and enjoy fashion as well. My brother is a fashion designer in NY, so maybe it just runs in the family. I don't particularly have one fashion icon, but I do enjoy looking out to see what people like Gwen Stefani, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alexa Chung, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss and Nicole Richie are wearing these days!

DMP: In your opinion, what's the best part about living in Southie?  Favorite places to eat, drink, work-out etc....

PS:  I LOVE Southie and everything it has to offer! I love being so close to the water and the beauty of running down the beach or just relaxing by the water for a couple of hours during the summer. We really do have the best of both worlds..city living and the beach. I also feel like South Boston is a very close knit community and people are friendly and always willing to help out. I've felt this way from the very beginning and It feels like home. I do love all the new restaurants and bars in the area and the new places to shop. I am excited to see what South Boston will be like in 5 years...not that I want to rush anything of course! I was recently at Loco for delicious tacos and drinks with some friends. It looks great and is very tasty! In Southie, I tend to hang out at Lincoln, The Playwright, Loco and Stephi's and do love Sunday brunch at Local 149. It's also great being so close to the waterfront and love going to see bands down there during the warmer months.

DMP: When did you decide to open Habit?  Tell us about the shop what you offer.

PS: We opened up Habit about 8 1/2 years ago. Habit is a small women's clothing and accessories boutiques located at 703 E. Broadway. We are open everyday and also host after hours events at Habit and at local restaurants/bars and shopping events for clients at their homes. Habit has a lot to offer to every customer. We have affordable clothing and tons of great accessories. We also have great sales and do fun promotions and events at Habit regularly. We post all our info on our social media pages or you can sign up for our email blasts. Our in store events range from wine tasting to trunk shows to make up events. Always looking for something fun to offer our customers.

DMP: What's up next?  I hear a new shop is coming to East Broadway......

PS: A new venture is happening soon for myself and South Boston. I am partnering and opening a new store called Wears + Wares in the old Flood Square space in South Boston on Broadway. We are hoping to open in spring/early summer the latest. The shop will be more of a home, gift, accessories shop with some women's clothing, some shoes and a splash of men's clothing and accessories as well. I hope the guys of South Boston will be happy with that!

I'd like to Thank Pam for taking the time to answer my questions.  I wasn't sure what it would be like writing this blog piece and I'm happy to say it was so much fun!  HABIT hosts some really fun events!  You can keep up to date by following on Instagram: habitboston and facebook: Habit and make sure to check out the piece I shot for Caught in Southie featuring some really cool fashions from Habit!!  Don't forget to head on over to Habit for some adorable fashions for you Mother's Day Portrait Session with Deb McCarthy Photography!!

Here's some of the fabulous items they offer: