Townsville’s Jess Jarvis turns dress obsession into thriving rental boutique That Dressing Room
Driven by the desire to extend the life of formal dresses she had purchased, a Townsville woman’s side hustle has flourished, so much so she’s transformed a section of her home into her own mini boutique.
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Driven by the desire to extend the life of formal dresses she had purchased, a Townsville woman’s side hustle has flourished, so much so she’s transformed a section of her home into her own mini boutique.
Jess Jarvis is the owner of That Dressing Room, a dress rental business which she only started in January this year, with a whole room dedicated to displaying the dresses, complete with a changing room for customers to try before they rent.
“Normally what I did was buy a dress and wear it once, then it sat in my closet,” she said.
“I realised I had around ten designer dressed that I thought someone else could benefit from wearing for a special occasion.”
“That’s where it all started and it’s just escalated so quickly.”
With dresses in many colours, patterns and styles, Ms Jarvis said the dresses are used for events ranging from weddings, galas and now Townsville’s racing season.
Due to its popularity and the appeal of renting over buying, Ms Jarvis now has almost 120 dresses in her collection ranging from size 6 to 16.
Customers are able to browse the range of dresses on Instagram and come try them on, which they can then rent for a fee that’s cheaper than buying it brand new.
“To be able to wear a dress for a fraction of it’s price, people are loving it.”
The concept has taken off across the country in recent years, but Ms Jarvis said she wanted to start a dress rental business in Townsville, as she says the city is sometimes late to catch on to things.
“It’s a hot thing to do at the moment,” she said.
On what were her most popular dresses at the moment and the trends people are loving, Ms Jarvis said bold statement pieces are all the rage.
“Lots of colour, lots of patter, lots of details, big sleeves, frills, showstopping kinds of pieces,” she said.
“But then there are also people that love a classic neutral or black.”
For more information check out That Dressing Room on Instagram.
Originally published as Townsville’s Jess Jarvis turns dress obsession into thriving rental boutique That Dressing Room
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