 "Photo: Borrow a Dress Couture")
Bree Lara and Teonna Ingram both had corporate jobs and fulfilled the roles of wives and mothers before they decided to start a business of their own. Neither one of them knew they would become partners in a boutique, Borrow a Dress Couture, in the midst of an economy that is sucking dry every other boutique business in the Chicago area.
Ingram and Lara were spending large amounts of money on dresses that would only be worn a few times, and for many women that could mean a waste of money. If men were able to rent tuxedos why couldn’t women rent dresses?
They connected themselves with people who were able to help them and the building blocks fell into place.
“It started with just the idea. We need[ed] a business plan so we sat down and tackled that,” Lara said.
After being open for only seven months, BADC has already won the MetroMix award for Best New Boutique in Chicago.
The 29-year-old Lara gushed over the accomplishment of having a successful business with her long time best friend, 28-year-old Ingram. The Lakeview-area boutique was empty considering it was viciously cold that day. It was comfortably warm when I walked into the shop, Lara perched in front of the computer with smooth music playing in the background.
BADC is housed in only one room, but it boasts several racks of high couture dresses and a small selection of purses. The dressing rooms are in the back, and there are two large mirrors slanted against the back wall. Although small in size, the store serves its purpose.
Ingram and Lara did much of the legwork on their own in order to have steady traffic through the shop.
“We started out advertising in CS magazine, but we’ve just been really consistent in having events and aligning ourselves with other organizations to do smaller events to keep our name out there,” Lara said.
Unlike other boutiques, BADC rents dresses other boutiques do not. While clothes by high-end designers such as Alexander McQueen, Betsey Johnson and Mark Bouwer are usually only sold in department stores, a customer can easily find them in BADC and get them for hundreds of dollars less.
Customers can rent a dress for three days and pay a quarter of the original price of the dress. If you want to purchase the item, they will deduct the rental price that you paid from the price on the tag.
BADC has dresses for all body types. The sizes range from 0-18; they even sell maternity dresses. They offer dresses for occasions such as cocktail parties, weddings and anniversaries.
But with a unique concept such as this, the pair has had to generate more ideas for the future.
“We’ve been wrapping our heads around a few things. Probably the next step for us is BADC bridal,” Lara said.
Lara and Ingram did not always have their lives so figured out. Although both worked as top executives, they decided to pour their resources into the boutique. Giving up a steady paying job seems particularly risky given the current economic climate, but Lara expressed no doubts with her decision to leave her 9-5 at an online advertising agency behind. If they would have stayed working in an office, Borrow a Dress Couture would have never come about.
Both Lara and Ingram have full schedules, but feel it is all worth it.
“We are both moms focusing on running the store in addition to all the events that we do, fashion shows, networking events and then still going home and being mom and wife. For both of us, it’s being able to balance those things at one time [and] still look fabulous,” Lara said.
Knowing the right people and keeping up with networking events is only half of what got them to where they are now. They give a lot of credit to their impeccable drive and focus.
“We load our plates with a lot, but everything is worth it. We’ve always been focused and driven on everything that we want and we always get them because we stay focused and prioritize,” said Lara.
Her advice for the college entrepreneur?: “Plan for the unexpected but stick to and go for it. It may not be successful, [but] who cares? At least you can say you tried it and you don’t have the ‘what if’s’ in your head.”
Borrow a Dress Couture is located at 3221 N. Sheffield Ave. Their hours are Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. - 5:oo p.m. BADC can be reached at (773) 904- 8735, or at info@shopbadc.com.
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