DePasquale The Spa of Morris Plains, New Jersey, is a breathtakingly beautiful salon and spa. More than 2000 thousands clients come through each week seeking the finest in cut, color, design, skin care, massage....AND SHOPPING. The retail space at DePasquale rivals any I've ever seen offering a vast array of beauty products and tools, and some of the finest accessories (watches, handbags, etc) available today.

So, it was no surprise that one of the most exclusive stores in the world, Neiman Marcus, offered to hold a premiere "shopping soiree" at the salon.

"It all made sense," says Justin DePasquale, co-owner. "We do a lot of their events at the store, so they thought it would be great to hold something at our spa." Justin decided to make it even bigger, inviting some of the local high end companies in the area to participate. "They jumped on it," says Justin of Ruth Chris Steak  House, J&R Tobacco (for high end cigars), Ray Cantena Luxury Auto (great auto display), Precision Custom Cycles (amazing motorcyles) and Baker's Perfection (amazing cupcakes). Although he wasn't surprised, Justin was thrilled his entire staff volunteered to give free mini services to those attending. There was a DJ, raffles, food, wine, gift bags...a wonderful and fun event. 

"As it was all coming together," says Justin, "I decided to add a charitable factor. We decided to sell tickets to the soiree ($100 for 2) and all proceeds went to Camp Nejeda in Stillwater, NJ, a camp for children with type one diabetes." (About $8000 was picked up for the charity)

While the soiree ended up costing DePasquale thousands of dollars, says Justin, "I know our clients appreciated the event and had fun. and it all went to a good cause. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort, but you get what you put in to it.  You have to be aggresive in this industry.  you can't just sit around and hope people will come.  You have to make things happen. This one offered such good will all around.  I can't wait to do it again!"