On any given day that Pittsburgh disappears under a record-breaking snowfall or city-wide events take over, shuttering most businesses, Carol Kinkela unlocks the lipstick-red door to her clothing boutique, Carabella. Even when Oakmont’s brick-paved main street is nearly deserted, the 68-year-old Kinkela—in her trademark heels and neck-knotted scarf—is merchandising and prepping for customers, just as she’s done six days a week for the past three decades. “We were open because I knew people would want to come in,” she says.
Meet Carol Kinkela, Owner of Carabella Boutique in Oakmont
For Kinkela, showing up isn’t a decision, it’s a reflex. That single-mindedness has defined Carabella from day one. When Kinkela opened the boutique in September 1996, it was a tiny 600-square-foot space, stocked with $52,000 worth of inventory she’d bought on instinct at a New York City trade show. What Kinkela had in greater supply was conviction: an unshakeable belief that she understood how Pittsburgh women wanted to dress. Thirty years later, the store has tripled in size and become one of the city’s most-enduring independent retailers, still built on intuition, personalized service, and Kinkela’s near-daily presence on the sales floor.
Kinkela’s fashion education started long before she had a storefront. Her grandmother sewed teeny couture outfits for her Barbies, kickstarting an early obsession with clothing construction and detail. By 12, she was riding the bus—alone—from North Versailles to downtown Pittsburgh, spending afternoons roaming Kaufmann’s, the iconic downtown department store, not so much shopping as studying fabrics, displays, and buyer behavior.
How Carabella Transformed Into a Retail Landmark
A formative job at the Shadyside boutique Surrey was a masterclass in retail, teaching her the psychology of selling clothes. After a detour into her husband’s business, she found herself unexpectedly fired from a corporate role in 1996. “I took it as a sign,” she recalls. Within a whirlwind six months, she had leased the Oakmont storefront and opened Carabella before the drywall was even finished. “I was scared to death,” she says.
From the beginning, Kinkela trusted her eye. Bypassing trends, she stocked Carabella with a look she describes as “tailored with a twist”: structured silhouettes, lots of saturated color and graphic prints, and statement outerwear. “A great coat enters the room before you do,” she says. “That’s power.” Mainstays at the store include patterned trousers, menswear-inspired blazers, and seasonal intarsia sweaters with designs like Valentine hearts and Halloween skulls.
Three decades later, Carabella is an institution. Kinkela is supported by a staff of 15, who prioritize service and an unhurried vibe. First-time visitors are welcomed like old friends, and the tan leather sofa, inked with customer doodles and signatures, acts as an informal guest book. Kinkela herself shows no signs of slowing. “I still get excited when a new shipment comes in,” she says. Her routine remains unchanged for now: the lights on, the racks straightened, the scarf tied just so. Snowstorm or not, Kinkela keeps Carabella’s door open—confident that, sooner or later, someone will walk through it.
Curious about other shops and shopkeepers? Check out our guide to shopping around Pittsburgh.
About the Author
Kathleen Renda is TABLE Magazine’s Online Content Strategist and a contributor covering design, trends, and lifestyle. A veteran journalist with more than two decades at national titles including Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, and HGTV Magazine, she was part of the Budget Living team that won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. She’s interviewed names like Chip and Joanna Gaines and Nate Berkus, and ghostwritten two bestselling interior design books, including Thom Filicia Style. More at kathleenrenda.com.
Photography by Laura Petrilla
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
