A generous customers purchase of $1,200 on the second day of business help set A. Feliché on the track to success 30 years later. Photo by Ben Hensley

When Karina Khachatourian opened A. Feliché, Inc. in 1994, she did so in the hopes of serving the local community, selling European clothing to customers from all walks of life.

After 30 years in business, the mission hasn’t changed as she opens her doors not just to new customers, but old customers and friends she has made through years of selling fashionable clothing along with a positive attitude and charm.

Khachatourian came to the U.S. from Armenia in 1991. After working as a professor of foreign language, Khachatourian, who spoke several languages prior to relocating, did not speak English, but that wouldn’t stop her from making an imprint in the community.

 

“When I came here I just wanted to do something; I wanted to be productive,” she said.

Khachatourian opened A. Feliché, Inc. to the backing of a strong Armenian and European immigrant presence. With $40,000 in inventory from a friend in Belgium, she saw success the second day she was open.

“With God’s help,” she said, referencing the customer — who made a $1,200 purchase — and helped her process the transaction. “I asked her how to do this [process the transaction]…they helped me and they came back because they know I’m honest and I learn from my mistakes.”

Connections like that one are what Khachatourian says keeps her coming back day after day.

And connections are exactly what she has made through A. Feliché, Inc., adding that occasionally, customers come to shop, but leave the store empty-handed but with full hearts, having spent hours inside the store talking with Khachatourian about everything from family and fashion to topics in their personal lives.

“People don’t come only for merchandise. They come to have fun,” she said. “Sometimes I think I’m their social worker or lawyer; we’re having fun in this place.”

With the help of her family and friends, Khachatourian operates the store by herself, and despite undergoing brain surgery several years ago, continues to be a beacon of light for her customers, many of whom see her for one-on-one styling sessions inside the store.

Those sessions, while often centered around fashion, often go off track, with Khachatourian delving into the lives of customers — and those customers eager to share  their stories.

“When she jokes around saying sometimes she thinks she’s people’s lawyer or psychologist — of course that’s funny and silly — but it’s honestly the interaction she has with her customers,” said Sergehi Khachatourian, Karina’s son. “That’s why she’s been able to be here for so long.”

He said that interactions like this one are daily occurrences in the boutique.

One of Khachatourian’s first connections at the store was with a homeless woman who was drawn to a particular top — one that sold for $159. Khachatourian noticed the woman’s interest and offered the top for $15.

Despite not being able to afford $15 at the time, Khachatourian wasn’t willing to quit; she offered to place the item on layaway, accepting 25-cent payments from the woman until the top was paid off.

Khachatourian said that her goal in that, and in much of her life, was to bring happiness to a customer.

“That’s a small story, but [in] my life — I always help people,” she said. “My goal in my life is to give people joy.”

Khachatourian, whose grasp on the English language has only strengthened over the years, welcomes people from all walks of life into her store, offering selections ranging from $15 all the way to $800.

In the end though, the money is secondary to her main goal of connecting with clients.

“I brought [a] variety [of clothing selections] to serve anybody that opens my door,” she said. “I give them a special service; that’s my goal. That’s my secret.”

Feliché, Inc. has been located at 2031 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno, at the Pavilion West Shopping Center for 30 years.