Inspired by her daughter’s growing demand for dresses that will be only worn once, Port Washington resident Jen Forman opened Charlotte’s Closet in Port Washington in 2014.
“Tweens always want a new dress to wear,” said Forman, who is founder and CEO of Charlotte’s Closet. “It’s hard to find dresses for every occasion. I looked for alternatives, but nothing was out there for that tween-teen market.”
Forman said Charlotte’s Closet allows teens and tweens to go online to the company’s website to borrow designer dresses for every special occasion including winter formals, school dances, junior and senior proms and graduations
The borrowers can then go to the business’s showroom at 14 Vanderventer Ave. in Port Washington to see the dresses in person, try them on and be fitted as much as six months in advance.
Borrowers can also use the company’s home try on service.
“The process is very simple,” Forman said.
Clients can go on the website, select a dress, enter sizes, event dates, receive the dress by mail, wear it and return it with the pre-paid UPS label. Forman said customers could also use the home try-on service, which for $29.95 and $12 shipping, they can have up to three dresses shipped and have the option to try on. Clients can then select the dress they want and send the other two back.
“It’s been successful,” Forman said about the home try-on service. “You rent the dresses and it’s ready to go.”
Forman said the company ships to places all over the U.S., including California, Alabama, and Florida.
“It’s across the U.S. and it’s prom season everywhere,” Forman said.
She said the store purchases dresses from top designers and rents them out for up to 75 percent off retail prices.
Earlier this year, she said, Charlotte’s Closet’s re-launched and updated its website to provide a more convenient way for customers to shop.
“We moved to a larger platform and redesigned the logo,” Forman said. “We wanted to give it that fresh look.”
Forman said the company now has dresses from more than 26 designers including Blush, Faviana, BCBGeneration and Nicole Miller.
In February, Charlotte’s Closet dressed Miss Wheelchair New York Emily Sciarretta for her next pageant that takes place in July in Ohio.
Sciarretta, who is originally from Port Washington, said a friend of her’s found Charlotte’s Closet online, contacted Forman and Forman immediately responded saying she’d be glad to help.
“Pageants are so expensive. We were thrilled to be able to help her,” Forman said.
Charlotte’s Closet ended up donating six dresses to Sciarretta after visiting the store.
“When you’re in a wheelchair people don’t make you feel comfortable. I felt completely at ease and we were all laughing and it was just a nice time,” Sciarretta said. “They are just an amazing kind, passionate group of women. You felt the kindness in the room and that’s really rare.”
“I’m really excited and so honored that they wanted to help,” Sciarretta added. “I’m very grateful for them because I wasn’t able to afford it. And now Charlottes Closet is going to help me look pretty.”
Sciarretta has a gofundme page at https://www.gofundme.com/fnfwfzd8 to set up to help her raise money for travel expenses with the upcoming pagaent.
