Donations boost women's workplace wardrobes
MALDEN -- Kate Spade, Ann Taylor and Evan Picone have added a bit of designer flair to a tired corner of Malden Square.
Tailored Impressions, a secondhand women's clothing store, has opened in the former Chisholm's Sporting Goods store at the corner of Washington and Exchange streets.
The new shop is cut from an unusual cloth. Sales of suits, separates, shoes, and other attire support job training and career counseling for low-income women provided by Tailored For Success of Malden.
The nonprofit organization collects "gently worn" business suits and work clothes, and distributes them to women referred by employment or social- service agencies. Anything left over is for public sale at the shop.
"We used to get so many donations, we sent them to Goodwill, " said Elizabeth Hart, executive director of Tailored For Success. "They would sell them. We figured, 'Why don't we sell them and make money?' "
The new boutique is an example of the type of social enterprise that nonprofit groups have launched to sustain themselves, at a time when public and private grant money is scarce, an observer said.
"It's a very good revenue-generating strategy," said Nicole Wild, executive director of The Women's Alliance, a national network of nonprofit organizations that, like Tailored for Success, collect work clothes for poor women. "Obtaining grant money is always a challenge. A lot of organizations have had to become more self-sustaining to stay mission-driven and grow their programs."
After receiving more than $120,000 in grant funding, including a major grant from the US Department of Labor, the organization's financial support fell to $60,000 this year, as grants ran out. To stay afloat, Tailored for Success had to get creative, and a shop filled with new and used clothes that are sold cheaply seemed like a good idea, Hart said.
"We believe there is a whole market in Malden for resale," said Hart, 47, a Malden native who has a master's degree in nonprofit management. "There are a lot of working poor in Malden who can come buy clothes here."
A new Kate Spade handbag, which can run $275 at full retail, is priced at $25. So is a "gently worn," olive-green Ann Taylor suit. New lingerie and light-colored jeans, donated by two swanky shops on Nantucket, sell for $5 to $10. "We think we've priced things right," said Hart, who runs the shop with help from her husband, David.
The shop is in 1,600 square feet of space, leased at a cost of $1,000 per month from the Malden Redevelopment Authority. The agency, the city's development arm, has recruited artists and restaurants to the downtown. Tailored Impressions could draw bargain-hunters to the square, authority spokeswoman Deborah Burke said.
"We hope this brings a lot of people to Malden Square. In the end, the city wins if [Hart] markets the shop aggressively."
Tailored Impressions uses a business plan created by The Women's Alliance. Graduate students at the University of Maryland reviewed the plan as part of a partnership with the Alliance. The goal is to generate operating revenue, raise the organization's profile, and serve as a job-training site for clients who need business experience before looking for a job, Hart said.
No clients have started working at the shop. The hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
"We'd love to get to a point where we could hire a manager," said Hart, 47, who works part time as a paralegal. "Right now, it's just me, and I can't be here all the time."
Hart cobbled together $17,000 in public and private capital, including $2,000 from the Malden Redevelopment Authority, to cover start-up costs, such as an inventory tracking system, clothing racks, lighting, and other fixtures. The space had sat vacant for years after Chisholm's Sporting Goods was closed.
Volunteers from the Boston office of Deloitte & Touche LLP painted the shop's walls bright blue and white. Deloitte & Touche is one of several big business names, along with Harvard Business School and KPMG, the global professional services firm, that have held suit and clothing donation drives to benefit Tailored for Success.
In addition to an interview suit, women also get one week's worth of work clothes. Most in demand are suits and clothes for plus-size women, size 18 and up. "It's very expensive to buy work clothes," Hart said. "We do everything we can to make it easy for them to get started."
A grand opening for Tailored Impressions won't be held until October. But some shoppers already have discovered the dressy new shop. "I love it," said Stephanie Aigret, who works across the street at Tri-City Community Action Program. "It's quaint."
Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com. 
