Thanks to the support from our sponsors:
PA Workwear/ Department of Public Welfare
Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation
SAP America
The Philadelphia Foundation
Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation
Citizens Bank Foundation
Dow Chemical Company
Lincoln Financial Group Foundation
National City Bank
PECO
Residences at Dockside
W.W. Smith Charitable Trust
Wachovia Bank, NA
Women's Way
Wardrobe Boutique in Philadelphia Business Journal
Wardrobe Boutique offering lower-priced donated clothes
Philadelphia Business Journal
by Peter Key Staff Writer
But it gets a lot of clothing that, while quite nice, isn’t business attire.
“We give away literally hundreds of bags of clothing every month,” said Executive Director Sheri Cole.
On Sept. 17, the Center City-based nonprofit will open a store at 1822 Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia.
The Wardrobe Boutique will sell clothing and accessories donated to the Career Wardrobe that it can’t use in its mission.
Prices will be steeply below what the items would cost new and will be discounted even more for women who have used the Career Wardrobe’s services.
“We want to make sure that it’s still going to be a place where they’re going to be welcomed and it’s going to be cost effective for them,” Cole said.
Once it gets the store established, the Career Wardrobe plans to use it to offer an internship program in customer service and retail management to its clients.
“At the end of their internship, they’ll be prepared not just to be able to go and work at minimum wage for a retail place, but also to work [in] management positions,” Cole said.
In addition to interns, the store will be staffed by volunteers and a manager and assistant manager, one of whom will be there at all times.
Nette Properties LLC, the developer that owns the building, gave Career Wardrobe a good deal to locate the boutique there, Cole said.
Career Wardrobe, which was founded in 1995, had been thinking of opening a store since late 2001. It got some volunteers from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to do a feasibility study for the store and some participants in Leadership Philadelphia’s program for developing nonprofit board leaders to do a business plan for it.
A year ago April, Career Wardrobe was named a Champion in Action by Citizens Bank, Philadelphia Newspapers LLC and NBC-10. That brought it a $25,000 grant and a Citizens Bank executive for three months, both of which it used to finalize plans for the store.
Career Wardrobe will keep the proceeds from the store and thinks it can put them to good use. Demand for its services has grown 90 percent over the past year, Cole said.
That, of course, is due to the economy, which also should boost the store.
“Resale stores are doing really well because people need alternatives to regular department stores,” Cole said.
photo: Volunteer Zoe Richman and Executive Director Sheri Cole at The Wardrobe Boutique. Photo by Curt Hudson.

19th and Spring Garden St
Shop Tues-Sat
Recycled Fashions
Reasonable Prices
Jobs & Internships
@ Career Wardrobe
Graduating from College?
Recently Laid off?
Access our services
Join Club 153
Empower one woman today!
Nominate a Woman for the 2012
Fashioning Futures for
Women Award
eNewsletter Archive
Powered by Constant Contact
Upcoming Events
Clothing Drive - East Falls
Feb 8, 2012
2nd Wednesday of the month from 6-8pm at Falls Presbyterian Church in East Falls Philadelphia Donations only...Read more >
Young Professionals Preview Cocktail Reception
Feb 9, 2012
Join Generation Stiletto and The Career Wardrobe Thursday, February 9, 2012 Crane Arts, Icebox Project Space 1400 N. American...Read more >
Volunteer Orientation
The Career Wardrobe
Feb 9, 2012
Come learn more about how you can help women succeed! 2nd Thursday of the...Read more >

The
Career Wardrobe is proud to be a founding member of:


The
Career Wardrobe
21 South 12th Street, Suite 110
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Tel. 215-568-6693
Fax 215-568-5998


The Career Wardrobe provides donated professional clothing to women who need it for job interviews.

.jpg)
.jpg)