Sorority Mom Needs Your Help!!
 

:)My daughter is an Alpha Delta Pi at the University of Alabama. I am considering opening a dress shop in Tusculoosa (near the University), which would cater to UA girls - targeting sorority girls. I hope to carry cute, affordable dresses along with greek merchandise. With all the different functions/occasions where sorority girls are required to wear specific dresses, I thought there would be a great need for this type store. I would appreciate any advice/opinions about my idea. Thank you.:)

...This seems more like a plug than an advice thread. Just FYI.

NO, not a plug. I'm receiving counseling from Counselors to America's Small Business (www.score.org). They recommended I receive input from potential customers - thought this would be a good place to start.

If you carry Greek merchandise, don't you have to have licensing from the different sororities?

My advice to anyone who wants to sell Greek or University related items is first get the proper licensing. Most Universities and GLO's are cracking down on unlicensed merchandise and the merchants who sell them.

Here's a thought...why not try asking your daughter and her ADPi sisters? Surely they'll know a thing or two about what's in these days. :rolleyes:

Unless you plan to sell online, most of the people on GC are not your potential customers. I'd recommend sending out surveys to each of the chapters at Alabama.

There already is Sassy Britches and Private Gallery that have reasonably priced and cute dresses and they are right on the strip.

She doesn't want to carry Greek stuff, she wants to carry stuff that sorority girls would wear.

I have an easy one. WHITE DRESSES. All year round. That aren't whory and are appropriate for ritual. (or should it be whorey?)

I think she wants to carry sorority girl clothing AND some Greek merchandise.

A-MEN!

Don't forget appropriate white shoes. I had to try and find a pair this summer before convention and had extreme difficulties.

There's a resale shop by us called Cinderella's Closet that only deals with formal dresses like prom dresses and bridesmaid dresses. I could see something like that being popular although the owner admits some times of the year, it's very very slow. But, for college students on a budget, being able to sell their own formal dresses there and then buy different ones.. it could be workable. Her shop is attached to a really good seamstress who does any alterations needed so they have a pretty good partnership there.

Black dresses too!!!! It is so difficult to find a nice, black dress that is modest enough for sorority things, but doesn't make you look like a nun!

you should probably include fraternity stuff. somewhat like the shirt shop and the locker room

Items by vendors like Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, Vera Bradley, CK Bradley, and Southern Proper would do very well too.

It sounds like this niche is already filled in tuscaloosa. I've seen a few dress shops come and go in Athens. Michaels can't even compete with the local Greek store. They quit carrying paddles several years ago. It seems like a tough business!

As other people have said carrying modest white and black dresses year round would work very well because these things can be impossible to find. But I also think it would work well to reach out to not just to sorority girls by selling things like dresses that are in alabama's colors to wear on game day and also selling jewerly and the alike. Once the school year sets in you could also carry dresses for formals.
I have also noticed on bid day pictures from schools in the south, that sorority members tend to wear dresses that are their sorority's colors on bid day. So you could look up those colors and buy dresses in the sororities colors. This would also cater to the non greek girls because they would see them as just cute dresses to wear for differnt events such as church and weddings.

Yeah, black dresses. And cute, cute jewelry. Like handmade stuff with nice stones - you know, not cheapy-costume Forever 21 stuff, but not high-end fine jewelry either.

I'm a UA mom of a freshman Phi Mu girl. She just called me begging for me to find her dresses appropriate for the games. I live in TX and am having a hard time finding sundresses in red or black (what she requested). so a shop that would carry reasonably priced dresses would be great!

Anybody ever heard of sewing?
(asking just for fun)

Most groups have at least 1 formal per year and one semi-formal event. Also, as previously mentioned the white/black dress w/ matching shoes. I second the mention of being a greek licensed vendor - this is very important if you want to carry any greek merchandise.

Good luck, sounds like a fun shop to own!

brownie2, tell your daughter that there are two great shops right on the strip. Sassy Britches and Private Gallery both carry dresses that are cute and reasonably priced. My daughter and I have shopped there quite a few times. There is also The Lockerroom and the Shirt Shop that carry things in game day colors. Also, most of the girls wear any dress, not ones in Bama's colors to the games.

If this is the Sassy Britches you speak of, you and I have VERY different ideas of "reasonably priced.":rolleyes:

In the store they always have a great sale rack. They do not show all of the sale merchandise online. We bought a great dress when we moved her in and it was $35. I definitely consider that reasonably priced. We also bought two dresses at Private Gallery for less than $50 dollars for both dresses.

Thanks Bamamom13. my daughter is at the clemson game right now...her 1st bama game and a great one! I'll tell her about the stores you recommended. In Texas the students dress quite casually at the games so this is quite different for us.

I'd agree with you there. I just noticed that the "sale" stuff online still looked a bit steep.

[mini-hijack]
Girls actually wear dresses to football games? Wow! I can't even imagine wearing a dress to a football game. Plus, ASU's colors are maroon and gold, people wear gold (because it stands out more) and finding a gold (i.e. a yellow) dress would be absolutely impossible.
[/end mini-hijack]


As for your potential store, I would have to go with what everyone else is saying with white and black dresses. OMG finding a white dress around convention time is an absolute nightmare, especially one that is appropriate. Heck, just finding a white skirt around convention time is a nightmare. So maybe skirts as well?