EP# 238: From Finance to Fashion: Connie Bergman's Journey at Talloni

What makes Connie Bergman with Talloni Of Asheville a good neighbor?

What happens when a finance executive decides to open a luxury boutique? For Connie Bergman, owner of Talloni of Asheville, it became a 19-year journey of community connection and resilience. 

Describing herself as "the most blessed woman in the world," Connie shares the unexpected path that led her to establish her "frivolous, fun boutique" after 20 years in the finance industry. Following the birth of her daughter at age 42 and a desire to fill a gap in Asheville's shopping scene, she created a space that balances luxury with accessibility. Talloni carries coveted brands like Stuart Weitzman, Atulio Gusti, and Kate Spade, but maintains what Connie calls "a really lovely neighborhood way" of doing business. Despite offering shoes that can reach $700, the store was voted "best place to buy a gift" and offers options starting at just $30.

The boutique's commitment to community truly shines through Connie's stories of recent hurricane relief efforts. Her long-standing relationship with Stuart Weitzman resulted in a personal $10,000 donation to the local YMCA that had provided shower facilities during the crisis. Even more remarkably, the Coach Foundation contributed $250,000 worth of merchandise to distribute to those who lost everything. These stories reflect Connie's core values, shaped by her own childhood experience being raised by a single mother working three jobs after her father left when she was just two years old. 

Located in the vibrant Biltmore Park inside the Hilton Hotel, Talloni invites everyone to visit without pressure to buy. As Connie puts it, "We are here to greet you and welcome you and to make you happy." Discover how a luxury boutique has become a beacon of community care while surviving 19 years of economic challenges, and why creating space for joy matters now more than ever.

To learn more about Talloni of Asheville go to:

https://www.talloniasheville.com/

Talloni of Asheville

828.681.5800

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
So I am really excited todaybecause we've got a very special
guest in the studio with us forthe first time.
So I'm really excited and superexcited to learn all about them
and their business.
And I'm sure you will be too,because today I have the
pleasure of introducing yourgood neighbor, ms Connie Bergman

(00:32):
, who is the owner operator ofTaloni of Asheville.
Connie, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Thank you, it's great to be here.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, we, like I said , are thrilled to have you and
I'm sure our listeners are veryexcited to learn all about what
you do.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Well, I am very blessed.
I wake up every morning sayingI am the most blessed woman in
the world.
I own a very frivolous, funboutique and never in a million
years would I have thought thatI would be doing this.
But we have shoes andpocketbooks and jewelry from all

(01:12):
over the world and it's just areally wonderful store and our
clients love us and we love them, so it's really great.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Awesome, awesome.
How did you get into thisbusiness?

Speaker 3 (01:35):
So I was in finance for 20 years, very blessed to
stay home with my daughter.
I was 42 when I finally gotpregnant and blessed to stay
home with her.
I wanted seven children.
God gave me one.
She went off to pre-K and Itwiddled my thumbs and just

(02:00):
decided that it was going to besomething fun to do in Asheville
.
Decided that it was going to besomething fun to do in
Asheville.
We've lived here for 28 yearsand it will always be home.
We've become very engrossed inthe community, but our shopping
per se was a little limited, soI decided to do this almost 19

(02:22):
years ago and it's hard tobelieve that we have been here
for 19 years and have ridden thewaves of the economy and just
the events that have taken placeour most recent hurricane.
But yes, I love it.
And but yes, I, I love it.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Wow, wow, great story .
What what in the boutiquebusiness?
Of course, yours is very unique.
No-transcript.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Well, you know, we're centered around fashion and
some people think that it's veryoverpriced or it's.
You know a little too, I don'tknow, bougie, and that's not
really what we are.
We do carry high-end products,Some of the major vendors in the

(03:22):
world Stuart Weitzman, AtulioGusti, Kate Spade but we try to
do it in a really lovelyneighborhood way.
We were voted best place to buya gift, so you can get a $30
pair of earrings, but yet ourshoes can go up to six $700.
Um, but we my business managerhas been with me for over 14

(03:49):
years.
My other associate has beenhere 12,.
She's 80.
We love our community and, um,so some might say it's it's too
expensive of a store, but it'sreally not.
And the other thing that I loveis my husband and I both grew

(04:10):
up with nothing.
We both have been very blessedin our careers, and one thing
that is incredibly important tome through the store is our
local community.
We give back in so many ways.

(04:43):
We were all so heartbroken andStuart Weitzman found out what
had happened.
He personally sent a $10,000check to our local YMCA because
he found out that I wasshowering there because we had
no water, and thanking them forsupporting their local community

(05:04):
, and the Coach Foundation sentin $250,000 worth of merchandise
to give back to the people whohad lost everything.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
It's very, again, heartwarming to me that through
the store, we, yes, we just yeah.
There's nothing more importantthan community.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Amen, amen.
Couldn't agree more.
And obviously you're a goodneighbor, so you're perfect on
the Good Neighbor podcast.
So outside of work, connie, ifyou have time outside of work,
what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:44):
We family is very important to us.
We have one daughter.
We love to go and do thingswith her.
I am an animal lover.
We have four dogs, two rescues,two goldens, yeah, and we just
love.
We love to eat, and Ashevilleis the Mecca of food.

(06:05):
So we're, you know we're justin the perfect place, but you
know what?
Having fun in our world today,it's important.
So thank you for asking.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yes, it is.
It is very important and, bythe way, it sounds like you're
pretty exciting in your storebecause you were jamming there
for a while going on in thebackground.
Is that like a show orsomething you're doing?

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Oh no, we just the clients.
We get very busy, which is solovely.
So my business manager is outthere with the clients and, yeah
, and they know us by name, weknow them.
You know, we've been through alot.
Some of them have been shoppingwith us for almost 19 years.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Wow, wow, incredible.
That's incredible.
Well, let's switch gears forjust a second.
I mean you touched on thisalready, but could you describe
a hardship or a life challengethat you've overcome and how it
made you stronger in the end?

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Well, I mean, every single one of us has faced
amazing challenges.
I know that For me, I think,one was that my father left when
I was two.
I think one was that my fatherleft when I was two.
My mother worked three jobs toraise three of us on her own.
I think that's why I became ahard worker and after college I

(07:24):
went out and started at thebottom in a bank and after 20
years worked my way up and saveda lot of money.
And I think that's one thingthat I've tried to teach my
daughter is you work hard andyou know you are committed.
No matter what you do, alwaystry your best.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Absolutely, and I'm sure you're setting a heck of an
example for her.
How old is your daughter now?

Speaker 3 (07:52):
She's 22.
She's in nursing school, soproud of her.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Wow, Now where is she in nursing school?

Speaker 3 (07:57):
She's in nursing school in Tennessee, so she is
over at ETSU.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Get out Wow, Fantastic program by the way.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
This is what we are so happy about.
Yes, and she's loving it.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Wow, and Johnson city is a cool town too, so yes, yes
, she works at the hospital.

Speaker 3 (08:19):
She works at the hospital there and um and this
summer she's actually working atat the Ingalls there.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
So, nice, nice, I'll have to look for it.
Well, I uh, I uh, I'm onlyabout 10 minutes away from the
North Carolina line, uh, but mydaughter just graduated from,
she's 22 and just graduated fromApp State.

Speaker 3 (08:33):
So nice, good mountaineering yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yes, anyway, sorry Didn't mean to get off on me,
but if you could, connie, if youcould think of one thing that
you would really like ourlisteners to remember about
Thelonia Vashville, what wouldthat be?

Speaker 3 (08:50):
Well, one is that we do give back in huge ways and,
um, that's the most important tome.
Um two, you can stop in and sayhi, you do never need to be or
feel pressured to buy, we are.
We are here to greet you andwelcome you and to make you
happy.
Our products are wonderful andfabulous.

(09:13):
We are in Biltmore Park, insidethe Hilton Hotel here and this
whole area.
We have just found out thatevery store here has just
finally, after 20 years, becomeleased, so it's just a beautiful
walking area.
Years become leased, so it'sjust a beautiful walking area.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
There's many restaurants here, there's the
hotel, a movie theater and, yes,we're just booming, so it's a
great place to come and strollaround.
I can attest to that.
I actually have visited thereseveral times.
So really cool restaurants wereat the Biltmore Park.

(09:55):
So awesome, wonderful, awesome,well, connie, I can't tell you
how much I appreciate you takingtime out of your busy schedule
to spend with me and with withour listeners to tell us all
about Telonia of Asheville, andalso want to thank you for what
you guys are doing for thecommunity.
That's incredibly important andnot every business does it.
So thank you for that and wantto wish you and your family and

(10:19):
Telonia Vashville all the bestmoving forward.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Thank you so much.
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Absolutely, and maybe we can have you back sometime.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Wonderful.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
All right, thanks so much.

Speaker 3 (10:31):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.