Business & Tech

Eye Kandy Fashion Boutique Named One of Pittsburgh's 'Prettiest' Businesses

The Harmony-based business placed second in an online contest.

One of Pittsburgh’s “prettiest” businesses can be found right in Harmony borough.

Eye Kandy, which opened on Mercer Street in the Center of Harmony almost a year ago, place second in public relations firm Pretty Living PR’s online contest for the “Prettiest Business in Pittsburgh.” Pretty Living also operates its own fashion magazine.

Kandy Barkley, the owner of Eye Kandy, said she learned about the contest through friends. From the beginning, something about the contest clicked for her.

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“I thought, OK, I’ve got to get entered into this,” she said. “It would be great for Harmony to win something like that, especially coming from 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.”

Barkley said she recruited friends and customers to campaign for her through the Facebook-based contest. With 177 “likes” for the business, Eye Kandy took second place.

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First place went to Charity by Dawn Lilly, a cosmetics and skincare company.

Barkley said she was honored to have her fashion boutique place among the top finalists.

“I was pretty proud to take second,” she said. “We totally came from off the radar.”

In honor of her placing second, Barkley received an award at Pretty Living PR’s “Paint the Town Pink” party.

Winning the contest caps off an eventful first year for Eye Kandy. Since the boutique opened last August, Eye Kandy has held several fashion shows—with more on the way.

Barkley said she plans to team up with Harmony’s Velvet Salon for a fashion show in September. She also will partner with the nonprofit Glimmer of Hope Foundation, which supports breast cancer research, for another fashion show in the fall.

In the near future, Barkley said she hopes to take her store’s merchandise online.

“It’s been great,” she said of her boutique’s success. “It’s definitely been doing better than I could have hoped for.”

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