WOODSIDE — Four years ago, as she was preparing for her wedding, Nitu Huda found more disappointment than joy when shopping for her bridal outfits.
"I had to settle," she said.
She went around to the various shops that cater to South Asian brides, but found the selections limited — and she didn't want to just order clothes online without a chance to feel the fabric and see the designs up close.
"I found something, but it was basically the best of whatever I could find."
Inspired by her own experiences, and determined to create something new for brides in Queens, Huda, 30, opened Sitara, an upscale bridal shop, this spring.
She spent more than a year renovating the former construction clothing store on Roosevelt Avenue near 63rd Street into a clean, modern shop.
Nitu Huda at her shop's grand opening this spring.
Its name means star in Sanskrit, and the white walls are adorned with colored lighting and an assortment of iPads that show off her shop's collection.
The tech side comes easily for Huda; her family owns various cellphone shops around the country, including Simple Mobile on Roosevelt Avenue.
There are traditional wares from famed Indian designers including Vikram Phadnis, Rohit Verma and Anita Dongre, and the appointment-only bridal suite in the basement features clothing for brides and grooms.
Sitara also has a full line of party outfits — for the recent Eid holiday, they stayed open until 3 a.m. fulfilling orders — as well as some children's clothing and accessories.
Quality is important to Huda, and she traveled to India twice while creating Sitara to meet with smaller boutique owners and other lesser-known designers.
And unlike other stores, there are two tailors who work full-time at Sitara to ensure clothing fits well.
"I have the luxury of providing customers the exact fitting," she said.
Huda, who grew up in Woodside and now lives in East Elmhurst, said brides are often surprised to see such a large selection at her shop.
They're also surprised to find it away from Jackson Heights, a popular destination for brides and other shoppers for South Asian designs.
The location was chosen on purpose. She wanted to distinguish herself while still remaining accessible to her customer base, she said.
"We're close to the crowd, without being in the crowd," Huda said.
She also sells her clothing at a fixed price, avoiding the haggling that's often found in other nearby stores. Clothing for parties and other events start at $250 (although cheaper, around $199, during holidays.)
And items from the bridal collection begin at $1,500, she said.
"Everything is priced to whatever I can let it go for," she said. "People are willing to pay for quality."
