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When one walks into L'Exotique Appeal in Bixby Knolls, owner Sonia Moncayo's fondness for all things feminine and exotic is evident.

"I like a woman to be feminine, show her body, but to be exotic too, to be sexy," she says in an accent as exotic as the clothes in her store. Moncayo, a native of Quito, Ecuador, has designed a boutique that offers women a complete shopping experience. Her new store, located on Atlantic Avenue, opened March 19.

"If you want to be just with a t-shirt and jeans," she says, " we have it. If you want to be the person [who shows up] at the party and everybody says, 'wow,' we have it." From the sexy-but-casual to the ultra-sophisticated, her primary criterion is that it be pretty.

In Ecuador, Moncayo learned the value of hospitality working for a five-star hotel. Later she opened a French influenced bar called L'Rouge. It's been 16 years since Moncayo moved to the United States, but when she opened her first store two years ago, she again integrated her fascination with French and Italian design.

Moncayo is selective about the things with which she fills her boutique. Her goal is to provide a well-rounded selection so women can spend more time in the dressing room and less time in the car driving to different stores. "You go to the mall [to buy an outfit] and you have to go to the jewelry store, stop for the shoes, the purse and [when you're] finished, you are so tired," she says. "The boutique is [set up] so I can shop for you. I'm taking [the time] to choose the best, the cutest, the most glamorous...so I can make your job easy."

Moncayo says she has a good eye for customer's preferences and once she is familiar with their taste, she offers to do custom shopping for special events, or simply to put together the perfect outfit.

In addition to women's wear, the boutique also carries an array of Tuscan-style home furnishings and offers one month lay-away with 30 percent down on anything in the store.
Although this is Moncayo's second store (her first is on Broadway, in the East Village), she says she enjoys having her neighbors as customers. "I love this area, I live in Bixby Knolls," she says, and she's proud to be providing a service that keeps business in the community. "Come and shop in you neighborhood, we have a beautiful area."

L'Exotique Appeal is located at 3846 Atlantic Avenue, in Bixby Knolls. For more information call (562) 426-6800.