'Top 20 Under 40': Paul Nardone

As owner/life-stylist of Outrageous, Paul Nardone, 39, specializes in the art of living large. He calls his store a "lifestyle gallery" that features gifts, home accents, furniture, lighting and jewelry. Nardone handles the day-to-day operation of the business, including retail analysis and buying

After opening a store in Shavertown three years ago, Nardone had a desire to expand his business with a second store and found Scranton to be the perfect place. Since the area is going through a renaissance where new businesses are turning up in formerly vacant buildings he says, "it's the kind of town that you wouldn't expect to find, so it's a great surprise. (Outrageous) is one of a cluster of new stores that is bringing a sense of style and fun to the area."

Some of that fun is that customers can bring their kids and pets to his store to have some coffee, shop, and relax. Kids love Outrageous since it is filled with "fun stuff, (and) artful people have pets, so we don't want to prohibit them from coming."

Older Scranton residents love the Casey laundry Building's transformation. Nardone suggests looking back through history - 40 or 50 years ago - to the great downtowns. This was where the action was, with grand theaters, restaurants and stores. Downtown Scranton, in particular, was once a thriving city that suffered much economic decline in recent decades, but Nardone feels that with the current resurgence, there are many opportunities in the area.

He says Outrageous building landlord, Ken Marquis, has been instrumental as his mentor, and helped Nardone "take risks" in opening a second store. "I owner, you need to be able to call on people, build relationships and know where to find information," he says.

Of his hectic schedule as a business owner, Nardone said, "I'm having a blast." He graduated from College Misericordia with a bachelor's in business and a master's in fine arts in organizational management and he enjoys teaching undergraduate business classes for his alma mater.

In his spare time Nardone likes spending time with family, friends, staying on top of current events, travel, and is a "huge fan of television. I love everything from news to reality TV," he says. Outrageous has given Nardone and outlet to an "artsy side to myself that I never got to express before, but with this store I can."