If, as the master of cinema René Claire used to say, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”', Valentina Dolci, owner of the Perpetua shop in Bergamo, has totally obliterated the space between herself and her customers.

Yes, because you can also laugh while promoting the latest novelty product in the assortment. And, by helping people smile or laugh, one can totally empathise with the other person. 

After all, neuromarketing experts all agree: you don't buy an object, you buy meaning. You buy an emotion. And Valentina, in this, is a master.

Perpetua is the story of a dream come true: at some point, the children grow up and one needs to get back into the game: "I started as a shop assistant and then became a shop manager. Yes, Perpetua indeed. The owner after a while decided to quit the business and put the items up for sale. The thought of the shop closing made me sad.  Perpetua is in a magnificent space and I, even then, felt strong feelings entering it every morning. An emotion I still feel today. Basically it went like this: I called the owner and told him. I'll buy your shop. An impulse choice. Said, done. Then I told my husband. The shop was already called Perpetua: I left the name, because the meaning of this word seemed a good omen to me.”

And so it is: "This shop, which today looks totally like me, I will never be able to leave, because it is linked to the stories of so many people and unforgettable moments. After the purchase, Covid arrived. In no time I invented social promotion, online sales, home delivery that I did personally. During that time, a very close relationship was born with people made up of words and solidarity. Social media amplified everything; making spontaneous, funny and ironic videos - according to my clientele - did the rest and today they come looking for me not only from other Italian cities, but also from abroad.” 

Perpetua has a good number of followers on social media, frequently posts funny videos and stories to tell about products and dialogue with customers, uses whatsapp as an e-commerce, and organises events. 

“How do I choose the products? They must say something to me. I come from a family of textile manufacturers and beautiful things excite me. Only if I fall in love with the items I can share the enthusiasm with my customers, or rather, as I say, my friends. And this space, so colourful and full of things for every season, in a charming courtyard downtown Bergamo, is the ideal setting for me to tell my story.”