The Gala

I’ve been here browsing a couple times, and while I love big name brands my wallet doesn’t love it especially being a full-​time student. I noticed that they were having a sale, so I thought it was a good enough excuse to take a peek.
After a minute of browsing, I was greeted by a very friendly young salesgirl, I told her I was just looking for a dress for grad, so it couldn’t be too casual but definitely not too dressy. She showed me a beautiful printed Nicole Miller dress. got a glimpse of the price tag… love it, but can’t do it! Then she showed me this beautiful sophisticated ivory Ella Moss dress. I went to go try it on, but after about 5 minutes, my friend & the girl knew I was having trouble (this dress was confusing!)…the girl asked if I needed help & I agreed so she helped me put it on in the dressing room. *Don’t get any naughty ideas guys out there. it was totally PG!*
The dress was $ 194 before a 10% discount they were doing on non-​sale items; I told her I’d think about it and like to put it on hold, because for that price I’d want to have no problem putting it on. But to be fair, the dressing room didn’t have a mirror & probably after another attempt I could master it.
The sales associates are very nice and helpful without being overbearing or putting on the pressure. They have a very nice selection of designer clothes including Armani, Marc Jacobs, Nicole Miller, Ella Moss, & Rock & Republic. I will definitely be coming back here when I’m a hardworking businesswoman!

Interesting little outdoor mall, will a bunch of different little stores/​boutiques that offer all different kinds of service. Ranging from dry cleaners to financial to nails and hair and many other things. Nice to check out if your in the area.

They have one of those incentive card things here — get a stamp for every $ 50 you spend. But you have to collect 20 stamps before you get $ 75 credit in the store. That’s $ 1000 to get $ 75 back! That’s quite a bit of money… but honestly, it’s not hard to spend money here, as damaging as it may be to your wallet. The Gala has a great selection of women’s clothes, like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Generra, and Miss Sixty. Those names don’t come cheap, but I bet you’ll find it hard to walk out of the store empty-​handed. Sales associates are very helpful and not pushy; one girl came back to me about 5 times just to take stuff into the fitting room for me. Shopping here was fun indeed. No, I did not buy $ 1K worth of clothes.

Cool place to splurge a bit… they carry a good selection of designer clothes for men and women, lots of denims.
When they have a sale, the prices are quite reasonable and there are some steals.
They have this gold card system, get a stamp for every $ 50 spent and receive a $ 75 credit after 20 stamps.

OK, I HAD to go in for some Marcello Toshi shoes, because frankly, they rock the house! Burlingame is really the only place I like to shop, because I can walk, don’t have parking drama and don’t have to see a bunch of silicon boobs, fake tans and face lifts abounding when I go out. If you want those things, go to Shallow Alto or LaLa Land.
Anyway, I had avoided The Gala, simply because it doesn’t look inviting and I seriously think they need a different window display. Rhoda Morgenstern anyone? They need help grrrrrls!
They DO have knowledgeable, seriously nice help staff. They have fun, funky, Japanese styles of which some will fit my generously proportion otto e’ mezze Italiana figure and I really enjoyed their selection and fine shoes. I’ll definitely be back for the Marcello Toshi spring line if I don’t get the itch to drive all the way down to WeHo 1^st and pick up the newest styles in a freak out next weekend.
If you are lucky enough to a model size 2 or be an asian girl, everything in there will fabulous on you so wait for the incredible sales like they are having now and go buy something! :o)
~ Ms. Ali

I agree w/​Connie that the storefront is deceiving. I had walked by this store dozens of times and had never been interested — seemed cheesy. But, I went in the other day in a moment of desperation looking for a dress for a party that evening. I was pleasantly surprised to find finely selected pieces by very current designers. Both of the saleswomen in the shop were very attentive and assisted me in finding a great Armani summer dress. In a way I hope they don’t change the storefront so that they remain the great secret of just a few of us!

UPDATE 8÷15÷06:
The did change their name! But I’m not so sure «The Gala» is much better than «Just KCS»…
I think if they changed the name of this men’s and women’s designer boutique, I think they would get a lot more shoppers coming into their store. When I first saw the cheesy sign on their storefront, I thought it was either an Asian designer knock-​off store or one of those trendy Forever 21-​like stores you’d find in the Great Mall, and I was a bit hesitant to go in. I’m glad I did go in, because this boutique carries a great selection of designer denim, like Rock & Republic and labels like Marc Jacobs, D&G, Ella Moss, Laundry, and my beloved Miss Sixty and their sister brand Killah. They also carry handbags, shoes and accessories and have a small section of mens’ clothing.
I was really impressed by their young sales associates’ professionalism. Their staff was super friendly and helped me decide on this really hot dress by Black Halo. It made a dent in my wallet, but sometimes you need to splurge.
So, the next time you’re shopping on Burlingame Ave., make sure you stop in. Remember, don’t judge a book by its cover!