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| - I'm not sure if I should cut this place some slack since they are registered as a charity, but I'd rather be honest and say this place was among the more disappointing visits along the wedding-dress quest. After all, for most shoppers, this isn't quite the same as scoring some secondhand jeans at a thrift shop.
I set up an appointment without incident and I was excited to see this place; I'd heard through word of mouth that it was friendly and the prices were reasonable...PLUS the price I pay goes toward a good cause, no?
The reality was quite disappointing. Not only was the selection of dresses old - many of these were quite dirty, which made the high prices all the more unreasonable. I realize they charge approximately half the original value of used dresses, but by the time you factor in the often VERY outdated styles, the cleaning (which most of these will most certainly need) and alterations (which you will also likely need), you are probably not saving anything, especially considering that you could make a donation to the same charity and get a tax receipt and then RENT a dress for less than what they charge here.
I know the people who work here are volunteers (unpaid I assume), but the person supposedly helping me quickly dashed off to catch up on her homework (which she proudly admitted), assuming that I knew how to handle everything on my own, even though I told her it was only the second place I'd been to try on dresses. Staff are friendly but they really can't replace the qualified expertise of the dress fitters you'll find in most boutiques. Good intentions aside, the staff seems defensive of the value of their outdated styles and older dresses, which should really be marked down by another 50%. While there are a few "current" styles heavily promoted on their website, these seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Bottom line: if you want to contribute to a good cause AND save money, you're better off donating directly to a charity of your choice (and receiving a tax receipt) and renting a dress.
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