On the day of the beloved street fair was when I wandered into My Daughter’s Closet.
“What?” some might say, confused as to why, if I don’t have a daughter, I was going into her closet. To them, I would simply laugh and say that if they have never heard of My Daughter’s Closet then they must lead a dull life. One visit there and you’ll be hooked–I know I was.
As soon as I stepped through the doorway of the little consignment shop on Brookside Avenue, I could immediately get a feel for the place. From the summer smells that drifted through the store to the boutique-style walls, my mind instantly thought of home. The store literally felt like my own closet. There were dresses hanging on the walls, jeans folded on shelves, and shirts waiting to be looked through. The openness of the store makes it easy to move things around and leave things on the floor. Actually, it is encouraged to take things out and throw them around a bit. It is supposed to be a closet, after all. And, of course, every closet needs a mother to govern it. The owner, Dale Lazarovitch, is that mother.
As soon as you walk in, she is there to greet you, almost as if she has been waiting there for you to wander in, and now that you have, her only job is to help you find what you love. Since she is always a mother first, she will give you her honest opinion, but at the same time let you know that you should try on whatever you feel most confident in. Her friendly, outgoing personality will always keep you interested in what she has to say, and who can forget her appealing prices?
When I went to My Daughter’s Closet, I found a sweater and shorts that I really loved and a Juicy Couture wallet for my little sister. With only ten dollars in my pocket, I wishfully approached Dale and asked her how much for all three items. When she told me that $20 was my total, my first response was shock at how affordable that was, then sadness, seeing as I only had $10 with me. Dale read the look on my face and told me that I could put my items on hold and come back during the week to get them. I had never heard of anyone who has such trust that they could just hold items for someone, someone who may never come back; as opposed to leaving them out and having another buyer get them. Let’s just say, Dale is a big believer in the honor system. This made a real impression on me and, since she wasn’t there on Mondays, I eagerly arrived at her store after school on Tuesday to find all my items still waiting for me.
As I mentioned, My Daughter’s Closet had made quite the impression on me. I approached Dale and asked her how the store had come about. She recalled that her daughter had been wondering what to do with the nice clothes that she didn’t want anymore.Together, they came up with the idea for the shop. In the beginning they only sold dresses, but after a while other kinds of clothes got thrown into the mix, and now they sell nearly everything.
I asked Dale where she would like to see her store going in the future, and she told me that she wants to have a whole line of retail stores where girls can go to find clothes and feel comfortable with their shopping experience. Teenagers don’t have the money to shop at Zara or Top Shop and they don’t have the patience to look through clothes at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. What’s more, you walk into stores like those, and the atmosphere is so impersonal. It’s almost as if the clerks think you’re going to steal from them. They stare you down or, even worse, they ignore you completely. At My Daughter’s Closet, you get all the attention you deserve and you aren’t pressured into buying things you really don’t want. It is a carefree and worry free environment that makes shopping for clothes easy and fun.
Once a month, Dale picks a charity to help raise money for. Right now, she is working on a fashion show to help kids who need a little extra money to buy prom clothes, because that’s just the type of person she is. If you stopped by her store on the day of the street fair, you would have found a ten year-old boy raising money for children getting heart transplants since he, too, had to have a heart transplant and knows how difficult it can be. Dale encourages people to come to her store to raise money.
I finally revealed to Dale that I was going to write a review about My Daughter’s Closet. She was thrilled! She was happy to offer anyone who mentions the article to receive 20% off an item. So girls, start collecting your money and head over to My Daughter’s Closet at 3 Brookside Avenue. And, if you get a chance, strike up a conversation with her. Believe me, she won’t disappoint.
