Finding stylish, appropriate office attire is a never-ending quest for many career women. For most of us, however, it’s not an insurmountable problem. Now imagine you’re a low-income woman who wonders not whether a blouse is in style, but whether buying the blouse will mean she can’t pay her heating bill.

Two Peoria organizations have the answer for women on both ends of the economic scale. Sassy Lady helps women spruce up their work wardrobe, while the Peoria chapter of Dress for Success helps low-income women suit up for job interviews.

Bringing Out Your Inner Sassy Lady

Sassy Lady, a new business located at 401 Water, is dedicated to helping local women fill their closets with great career clothes. Sassy Lady is owned by Cindy Neal, Diana Gustin, Lynne Johnson, and Pat Drake, all four of whom own other local businesses.

Gustin described Sassy Lady as a small, but rapidly growing, boutique specializing in unique, affordable clothing and accessories. "We go beyond retail by offering personal, one-on-one shopping. We opened as a retail store in our present location in July; prior to that, we were open by appointment only and held special showings from the front of one of our businesses."

Neal said, "I think we offer fun, funky fashions that aren’t available elsewhere in the area. We also offer personalized service for a customer base that includes women of all shapes and sizes. How fun is that?"

Johnson said, "To me, Sassy Lady is a studio-style boutique. And we offer very popular SOS (significant other shopping) service; we help loved ones pick out exactly the right gift for our Sassy Ladies. And we wrap-it doesn’t get any easier than that."

"What I really like is that we offer such limited quantities," Drake said, "so you don’t see yourself coming and going. And we’re definitely not run-of-the-mill. All of us wanted something different, something priced right so it was affordable, and with personal service. The really wonderful part is to have our Sassy Ladies come in and update us on their lives, tell us how the outfits they bought worked for them, and get to know them as friends."

Johnson said the idea for Sassy Lady came about through the women’s membership in National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). "A year ago, we attended the annual Pathways to Success, a NAWBO/WIM function. I frequently shop in Texas and suggested a group shopping trip would be fun. All NAWBO members were invited, but, in the end, it was the four of us who went. It was a hoot. I can’t tell you how many times we laughed until we cried, and we purchased so much. During the weekend, we had a lot of conversations about why we leave town to shop. I believe it was Pat who planted the seed that maybe we could have that much fun all the time. We started brainstorming and putting together all of the things we wanted to experience in a shopping event. Thus, Sassy Lady was conceived in Texas and born in Illinois."

"As if we weren’t busy enough, we decided to spend our ’free time’ developing a new business," Neal said.

"In my mind, Sassy Lady, or the potential thereof, materialized several years before Dallas," Drake said. "Cindy and I had been at several NAWBO events together, and we talked about Peoria needing a unique women’s clothing store. After Dallas, it was a looming presence because we saw what was possible. As Lynne said, we had lots of fun and truly loved being together and shopping together. What was more natural than to just expand that idea? And it was easy to jump in, since we all had other businesses. When we were shopping and found something we liked, Lynne would say, ’Isn’t that sassy?’ By the time the trip was over, it was our new word. It wasn’t much of a leap to come up with the name ’Sassy Lady.’ Our initial concept was pretty limited-five trunk shows a year and a membership list so we could reach out to a selected group prior to going public. However, our ladies loved the concept and our clothes. It just mushroomed before our eyes, and we knew we had to establish a shop within the first few months of developing the idea."

Gustin said women shouldn’t have to leave the Peoria area to find fun, unique, affordable clothing and accessories. "With that in mind, Pat-our idea person-ran with the thought, and we developed the Sassy Lady name and logo, and everything else just seemed to fall into place."

Because there are four owners, each of them brings different attributes to their joint venture. "Our extensive backgrounds and years of experience as women business owners have been the key factors to Sassy Lady’s success to date," Gustin said. "Each of us knows her strengths and weaknesses, and combining those strengths is essential to our growth."

"What’s really neat is the variety we bring to the plate," Drake said. "One night when we were at dinner, Diana had a business question Lynne could answer because of her background. I don’t think we miss a beat when it comes to the areas we’ve covered-from accounting to advertising to direct sales to insurance and so much more. We’ve worked for a variety of companies prior to starting businesses, and we all do what needs to be done in the business. They say most business partnerships don’t last, but with almost a year to our credit, we’re still here and communicating. We also made a rule at the start that no one had a title and decided it took a quorum for major decisions. It’s great when you’re in the majority-not so great when the tide goes against you. But we all know how to forget it and drive on."

Neal said Sassy Lady was originally conceived as a shop for women "30-plus," though Drake said as it turns out, customers of all ages are taking advantage of the store’s offerings. "We carry clothing and accessories that some teen girls and college students have loved. A couple came in with their mom and ended up buying more than she did. Mainly, though, it’s the professional woman who likes what we offer."

Johnson said the personal shopper service they offer is popular with customers. "We develop a customer profile on our Sassies, and we spend a lot of time getting to know them. There are many things to consider: their lifestyle, coloring, body type, what designers look best on their body type, etc. Every woman has a fashion personality; we’ll know what that is."

"The profile allows us to shop with our customers in mind," Gustin said. "We purchase in limited quantities and notify our Sassy Ladies immediately if something comes in they may be interested in."

Drake said, "No matter how much weight we gain or lose, we still have the same body type, and it’s important to know how to look our best in what we choose to wear. That’s the great part of the job-helping someone find that special something that makes them look totally sassy."

Johnson said the best part for her is the constant laughter they all share. "The most challenging is beating the other Sassy’s to the new arrivals," she joked.

Gustin agrees that having fun with this endeavor is the best part for her. "When it stops being fun, it’s time to quit. I also enjoy meeting new customers, working with present customers and friends, traveling, shopping-what part of that isn’t fun? The most challenging is juggling time between two businesses and a personal life."

The future is wide open for the Sassy Lady owners, but they’re taking time to enjoy their current success. "When we started Sassy, we all said, ’Hey, don’t give up your day job.’ We felt we had some really good ideas and that Sassy would fill a niche in the market. I feel we’re right on target with what we’re doing, and I’m very proud of our success," Johnson said.

"We went from the original plan of five trunk shows a year to where we are now in a period of 10 short months," Drake said. "We’ll just have to wait and see what the future brings. Whatever we do will be thoroughly discussed and agreed on as a team. Our goal is to always be on the same page."

For more information or to make an appointment, call 691-9633.

Women Helping Women

If recent shopping trips or holiday gifts have left your closet bursting at the seams, do yourself-and others-a favor by donating castoff career wear to Dress for Success. Roz Burger, director of the Peoria location of Dress for Success, said the not-for-profit organization celebrated its grand opening December 1, 1999. She explained the boutique, located at 816 NE Madison Avenue, is sponsored by Peoria Friendship House.

"Our mission is to help low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce," she said. "Women are referred to our program from one of 34 member agencies-public aid offices, job training programs, women’s shelters, etc.-that are assisting them with becoming employable. They schedule an appointment for their ’suiting.’ On the initial visit, each woman receives a business suit, shoes, panty hose, resume bag, and a pearl necklace with matching earrings in which to conduct her interviews."

Burger said when a woman obtains employment, she returns to receive one week’s worth of clothing appropriate to the job she landed-all at no cost to the client. "The Peoria program is the only Dress for Success affiliate providing a week’s worth of work clothes; all of the other affiliates provide a second business suit. I specifically wrote the business plan this way because the majority of the women we serve aren’t obtaining jobs requiring business suits. Most are getting entry-level positions such as waitresses, nurse aides, housekeeping, telemarketing, etc."

All donations are accepted at Friendship House, located at 800 NE Madison, during regular business hours. "We accept all types of clothing, shoes, and accessories in good conditions. The only item we don’t accept is used underclothing," Burger said.

She said though all donations are welcome, there are certain items continually in short supply. "I never have enough small sizes (eight and under), large-size panty hose, new underclothing in all sizes, shoes in good condition, and uniforms. Fortunately, there have only been a couple of occasions when I couldn’t serve someone due to lack of inventory."

Not surprisingly, Burger said single mothers comprise 98 percent of Dress for Success clients. "About 75 percent of them don’t have a high school diploma or a GED, and 70 percent rely on public transportation, which is a huge barrier to their ability to find employment."

She said the reason Dress for Success only serves women is because women struggling for financial independence face challenges men don’t. "The combination of child care and transportation can be almost deadly for some women. I remember one client with three children and no car. The ages of her children required two different day care facilities. She had to get everyone up at 4:30 a.m. to get them ready, catch a bus, drop two off at day care, catch another bus, drop the other child off at day care, and catch another bus to get to work. Then she repeated the process at the end of each workday. Her weekends were filled with going to the Laundromat and grocery store on the bus with three kids. I can’t even imagine."

Despite the difficult stories she encounters every day, Burger said the clients are the inspiration behind her work. "The best part is getting to know these women. Some of them are facing, what seem to me, insurmountable odds. I have tremendous respect and admiration for their determination to succeed and make a better life for their children." TPW