BOSSES at a Barrhead boutique have had their “passion for fashion” recognised after winning a national business award at a glitzy celebration in Glasgow.

Staff from Moda Dea walked away from the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow last week as winners of the Independent Retail Business of the Year gong at the Scottish Women’s Awards.

The Cross Arthurlie Street store was one of 10 finalists that had made the shortlist, with most of the competition coming from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

After a public vote and submission of their best work, Moda Dea fought off the big city rivals, with owner Rosemarie McInally delighted with the win.

She said: “It is just fabulous. The night was great and we all just loved it. For a wee Barrhead boutique to win was great, as we didn’t really think we had a chance.

“This was the first time we had been nominated, so we were not getting our hopes up for winning at all, but when they announced that we had won, we were just delighted.”

Rosemarie and her team were among nearly 350 guests at the event.
Now in its second year, the Scottish Women’s Awards aim to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of women entrepreneurs, businesswomen, professionals, civil servants, women in uniform and charity workers across the country.

Charitable efforts and work in the community will be one of the reasons that Moda Dea was successful at the awards.

Since opening in 2010, Moda Dea have raised around £20,000 for charities across the area, with much of this coming as a result of fashion shows.

Recently, the company raised around £7,000 for the Trades House of Glasgow.

Rosemarie added: “When we started, we just had an idea for a wee back street boutique selling accessories but our ideas have just grown arms and legs and people seem to love shopping here and keep coming back.

“We have a real passion for fashion. Our staff have more than 70 years of combined experience and we really know what we are talking about.

“We spend the time to travel all over Europe to make sure we have items to sell that nobody else does – and people seem to appreciate that.

“We can only thank those who voted for us as we really appreciate it.”