"Most of the stuff here is handmade. I have my own clothing line that's romantic and eclectic," Osorio said. "People need uniqueness."

The store—which is approaching its second anniversary—got its start in Brazil. That's where Osorio grew up with a mother and four sisters who were always whipping up clothes and other garments by hand. "We were always creating," she said.

Osorio came to the South Bay in 1982 to study English at De Anza College thanks to the sponsorship of an American host family. While in school, she met her husband, a German engineer. The two now live in the same neighborhood as Isabella Wear, which Osorio opened in a space formerly occupied by a health food store.

The racks are filled with clothes of Osorio's own design—a fashion line inspired by the Shakespearean era—which she started several years before she opened the store. "I was trying to do it all at home, but I was also trying to raise my daughter," Osorio said. Isabella, one of five Isabellas in Osorio's family, attends kindergarten nearby.

The rest of Osorio's family still lives in Brazil, but they provide a lot of the manual labor for Osorio's clothing line. On an upcoming trip to her home country, Osorio will be taking bolts of fabric along for a huge sewing party. "I design more than I sew right now," she said. She has never been trained in fashion design. "I just learned from my mother. [My family] comes here pretty often—they actually support me a lot." Her nephew even produces puppets that Osorio carries in her store.

Her additional goods come from many local artisans—more than 60 percent from Sunnyvale. The jewelry, hats, even some of the colorful artwork on the walls and the furniture made of leather were produced by local artists who walked by the store and came in on their own. "We're just a small store—a lot of people who come by are lost trying to find downtown," Osorio said. "But friends bring their friends, and we're doing great."

One of Osorio's fans is Annette Russell, who crafts antique-looking hats. "I've lived around there for a long time, and I knew the people who were there before," Russell said. "I thought my hats would fit in there—they add to the dresses, and she thought so too." She and Osorio are even thinking about holding a tea party in Isabella in January.

The location of the store is a bit isolated from the rest of downtown Sunnyvale, and many of Osorio's clients have asked her why she hasn't moved closer to Murphy Street. "This is my neighborhood. We're not really part of downtown, but the rent's too high there," she said. "But the artists keep coming back, and we get new stuff in every two to three weeks."

Osorio supplements the success of her store with a website and appearances at local fairs in the summer, including the Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival and the Gilroy Garlic Festival. The timing gives her more time at home with Isabella—both of them.

Isabella Wear is located at 599 E. Washington Ave. in Sunnyvale. For more information, call 408.738.2980 or visit www.geocities.com/isabella_online/index.html.