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Girlfriend's Closet in Frankfort offers exactly what its name implies.
Repeat customers are known by their first names, and the 1,200-square-foot boutique resembles an oversized walk-in closet.
Owner Denise Strait said the intimate atmosphere is one of the reasons clients return.
"New customers love the environment because it's warm and inviting and there's no pressure," she said.
"We greet them and let them be, and most become customers."
Another key to the shop's success is the merchandise, which includes such top-selling lines as Bejeweled, Betsey Johnson, Sky, Marlow, 1060 Sherman and iT.
"We carry fun, everyday clothing you can't find in other stores," Strait said.
"Our clothing appeals to a wide range of women. A customer can put a nice outfit together for a couple of hundred dollars."
The location at 55 W. Bankview Drive also is a plus.
"A lot of women are tired of going to the mall," Strait said. "I'm a big boutique shopper. I'm not a mall shopper. And I wanted to bring this to Frankfort."
Strait opened the shop a year ago after spending 13 years in the snow-contracting business.
She left a job as executive secretary in Chicago when her husband, Randy, needed office help at Arctic Snow and Ice Control in Frankfort.
After Strait joined her husband's company, business quadrupled in five years. The expansion included a second Arctic location in Waukegan.
"We became so large so quickly, I couldn't walk away," said Strait, who handled sales for multimillion-dollar commercial accounts.
"I still help with my husband's business on a smaller scale. I didn't abandon him. But I wanted to be fulfilled in a different way."
For the Frankfort mother of three, Girlfriend's Closet fit the bill.
"I love working with women one on one," Strait said. "It's far different than working in a business with 95 percent men."
Four months after the Frankfort boutique made its debut, Strait opened a 1,350-square-foot store in Oak Brook.
"It seemed like a natural thing to do. It was one of those instincts," said Strait, who employs 10 people between the two stores.
"And my husband gave me a push."
Gloria Ursich, of Tinley Park, worked in retail for years before becoming manager of the Frankfort store.
Every few months, Strait and Ursich travel to Los Angeles, Chicago or Las Vegas to bring their clients the latest trends in jeans, jeweled T-shirts, casual dresses and purses, shoes, jewelry and hair accessories.
"Our relationship with our customers is more of a friendship, so we know what they want," Ursich said.
"We have a lot to offer. We can set you up from head to toe. And a lot of people like the fact that we're close to home."
The store registry holds a client base of 1,500.
Discounts are offered on Ladies' Night, which is scheduled one Wednesday per month.
As Girlfriend's Closet nears its first anniversary, does Strait plan to quadruple her business soon?
"I'm thinking about opening a store in New Buffalo (Mich.) or Plainfield," the Lincoln-Way East High School graduate said.
"For now, I'm just happy if both stores are doing well. I need to stay busy."
If you go
Girlfriend's Closet operates stores at 55 W. Bankview Drive, Frankfort, (815) 469-8960, and 3041 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook, (630) 368-9690. Apparel lines are showcased at www.girlfriendscloset.com.
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