In The Hood: November

Community Comments

The Latin Hospitality

Her Casa Is Your Casa

By Angela K. Nickerson
A big red sofa sits in the front window of Casa Bella Galleria, an apt metaphor for the family-driven retail therapy happening beyond its doors. “I actually considered changing the name of the store to The Big Red Sofa,” says owner Rhoda Santamaria. “It’s a bad weekend when we don’t sell six of them.”
    Santamaria, 50, earned a business degree from Baruch College in New York and worked for national brands, such as Ann Taylor and Univision, but for years she heard the call of entrepreneurship. Her goal was to be self-employed by the age of 50. She flirted with opening a dog grooming business, a television station and a shoe store. Finally, she decided to tap the growing furniture market.
    Writing the business plan, she says, was “torture,” but together with her financial partner, Shane Curry, she survived the planning process and opened Casa Bella in December 2004.
    The home-goods store occupies what used to be Arden Furniture, a family furniture store where for years customers were told: “Tell ’em Billy sent ya.” Santamaria did not realize she was following a legend when she bought the building. She simply saw a big, empty space, filled it with reasonably priced furniture and opened her doors just months shy of turning 50.
    Another bit of luck, that empty space was positioned at the intersection of Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way, a location Santamaria describes as “the gateway to Natomas,” an area renowned for its booming new-home sales. And new homes need furniture.

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