Atlantic Ave March 2017 Edition

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special feature ║ Hy Pa-Hy Ma
Hy Pa-Hy Ma
Celebrates 39 Years of Sophisticated Ladies Fashion
By nicol jenkins
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photos by melissa korman
Pa-Hy Ma was one of a few women’s clothing
stores in the town of Delray Beach in 1978.
“There was virtually nothing around this
area at the time. There was a gift shop, hotel
and restaurant down the street, but there
really wasn’t any shopping,” said the owner
Nance Bernet. “I wanted to open an eclectic
shop. We started out collecting paintings,
and selling antiques, chocolates and shipping
oranges.”
Her store quickly expanded to offering ladies
dresses, clothing for women and men,
accessories, children’s clothes and pajamas,
and was the first to sell kimonos from China.
“I had a friend from China who wanted
to do some business here in Delray, and
before the U.S. opened their trade with
China, our store had embroidered kimonos
imported from mainland China that no one
Mia and Nance, daughter and mother duo
Wanda helping customer Betsy find the perfect spring outfit
else had,” said Nance, adding, “Over the
years, women kept coming in and shopping
for clothes for themselves to wear to
a social event or special occasion, and we
focused on becoming a ladies clothing boutique.
Women are powerful and they are
shoppers; Hy Pa- Hy Ma evolved into this
very nice upscale boutique. Now we offer
a variety of sophisticated styles catering to
the customers’ preferences.”
That was the evolution of the upscale ladies
fashion boutique, Hy Pa- Hy Ma. Thirtynine
years later, the store is still at the same
convenient location at the Waterway East
Plaza on Atlantic Avenue, offering the highest
quality of sophisticated women’s clothing,
purses, and jewelry for every day wear.
In its 39th year, the store continues to
stock a wide variety of women’s attire, everything
from casual wear to cocktail wear,
60 March 2017 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com