Since meeting in 2011, Georgia Dontas, ‘08, and Despina Giampilis have shared a close friendship rooted in their many similarities.
Both women are daughters of Greek immigrants and grew up in families that owned small businesses, instilling a strong work ethic within them.
They are also both entrepreneurs.
After witnessing Giampilis launch her cookie business La Madame Biscuit during the COVID pandemic, Dontas said she was inspired to launch her own online clothing boutique, PRINCE + BROOME, in November 2021.
On Thursday, their entrepreneurial passions converged as they hosted a joint Valentine’s Day pop-up at La Madame Biscuit’s East Fourth Street storefront. The event showcased Dontas’ clothes and accessories alongside Giampilis’ cookie bouquets.
“(Dontas) is a woman-owned business, and so am I, so we try to support each other to grow,” Giampilis said. “Aside from being friends and family, (the collaboration) was just something that had to happen.”
She said the collaboration came to fruition because Dontas is a Lehigh alumna.
After graduating with a finance degree in 2008, Dontas spent several years working on Wall Street.
Realizing her true passion was fashion, she attended Parsons School of Design in 2012. There, she said, she mastered everything from construction to sewing and drawing.
Graduating in 2013 with an associate’s degree in fashion and apparel design, Dontas joined Louis Vuitton as a client advisor. She said in this position, she opened several pop-up shops by traveling around New York City and visiting different experiential shops.
She said the pop-ups showed her that even “a big conglomerate or brand like Louis Vuitton needs something different in this day and age to get people in the door.”
After growing “tired of working for someone else,” Dontas launched PRINCE + BROOME.
She said her time at Lehigh inspired her, noting that many students and alumni began their careers working for others before launching their own ventures.
Dontas said the entrepreneurial spirit and confidence she developed at Lehigh were invaluable in her path to entrepreneurship.
PRINCE + BROOME operates entirely online — with the occasional specialty pop-up in the Lehigh Valley or New York — and curates products from other brands.
“We focus on well made, sustainable products,” Dontas said. “Everything is from a smaller brand and as (many) as 90% of them are women-owned. They all have a sustainable aspect to them, and that’s why they’re chosen.”
In an effort to find sustainable brands, Dontas said after every New York Fashion Week, she visits the Coterie Market — a large trade show showcasing fashion brands and designers.
“I just walk around there and look for sustainable, handmade products,” she said. “That’s usually how I source, or just online searches looking for woman-owned or small businesses.”
Sourcing some of her leather products from Brooklyn, New York, she and her team repurpose leather that would otherwise end up in landfills into brand new products.
She said other clothing items are sourced from Apaya, a Columbian brand which employs women who have faced domestic abuse or family issues.
She said a key aspect of her company’s branding is its stance against fast fashion, where an individual wears an article of clothing once and then throws it away.
While Dontas said she will continue to plan more pop-up events in places like New York, the Valentine’s Day Pop-Up was limited to Bethlehem.
Her collaboration with Giampilis is one example of how the two women have blended their passions.
Giampilis opened her cookie shop, La Madame Biscuit, on Oct. 29 last year after discovering that her passion for baking cookies was more than just a hobby — it was a calling.
She said the most rewarding part of starting her own business has been maintaining a physical shop. Her cookie-making journey began nearly five years ago, and she always dreamed of having a storefront.
Giampilis said the South Side community has been very supporting and hopes more Lehigh students will stop by to enjoy a sweet treat.
Jorge Grullon, a South Bethlehem resident, is a regular at La Madame Biscuit and visited the pop-up on Thursday to buy his wife a cookie bouquet.
“(The shop) is very big at just supporting each other and supporting their clients,” Grullon said. “My wife told me about them opening a cookie shop because previously they did everything from home. So we supported them by getting some cookies then and now.”
Although the cookie offerings at the bakery change frequently, customers still have their favorites.
Grullon said his favorites from the pop-up were the Super Bowl Eagles cookie and the “Be My Red Valentine” holiday cookie, while his wife favors the protein cookies.
Grullon also said La Madame Biscuit has benefited the South Bethlehem community by emphasizing the importance of small businesses and providing “some very delicious snacks that the community wouldn’t have otherwise.”
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