Jen Forman cut the ribbon to the new storefront of Charlotte’s Closet at Innovation Wharf on Thursday.
Previously located at 14 Vanderventer Ave., the designer dress rental shop will have more visibility at the new location at 405 Main St. in Port Washington. But dresses from Charlotte’s Closet can be seen across the U.S. with Forman shipping to all 48 contiguous states.
The lifetime Port Washington resident has also had her store featured in publications like InStyle and the Baltimore Sun.
Forman said her idea to rent out formal dresses struck her when her daughter, Charlotte Forman, began going to bar and bat mitzvahs and wanted to wear “lots and lots of new dresses.”
Forman and her daughter had attended a friend’s bat mitzvah and loved the dress the girl was wearing, which Forman knew had to be expensive.
Forman’s daughter was also to have her bat mitzvah that year.
She said that she thought to herself there is no way I am spending that kind of money for my daughter’s bat mitzvah dress as well as dresses for the countless events that she will be going to as a guest.
After being denied when asking the girl’s mother whether they could borrow her daughter’s bat mitzvah dress, Forman said she did research and found that there were no buying alternatives for that age group.
“There is Rent the Runway, but that’s not for a 13-year-old or a 12-year-old,” she said.
So she decided to create a business to fill the void.
She pointed to a gown in the back which she said her daughter wore for her bat mitzvah and is still being rented to customers. She said this goes to show “that nobody cares about owning the dress in their closet, and at that age, it won’t fit you anyway.”
Her business launched online nationally in March 2016.
The previous location on Vanderventer Avenue was mainly a warehouse, but Forman said people kept coming in to check out what she had.
She said at the beginning she stocked one brand, Jolene, that she really loved, and those dresses continue to be some of “the most popular party guest dresses we have.”
Forman will also special order dresses for customers because if one girl wants it “somebody else is probably going to want it.”
She said this gives the girls the feeling that they have a say in how the inventory is being built.
“[Charlotte’s Closet] is really about empowering girls,” Forman said.
Inside the dressing rooms, decals say “smart is beautiful” and “strong is beautiful.”
“I am raising a daughter,” she said. “I just want her to be happy and confident. I don’t care what she looks like on the outside.”
While the store mainly focuses on young teens, Forman has plenty of prom dresses and has outfitted women of all ages for a diverse range of events.
When dresses are retired from her inventory, Forman will often sell them for a discounted price and has donated gowns to Project Prom, a contest run by Newsday where students apply to have their prom outfit paid for by the publication.
