Clothing

Item Description

A Personal One-hour Stylist Session with the Owner of Marjory Warren

115 East 96th Street
http://marjorywarrenonline.com

Marjory Warren clothes are comfortable, timeless and fashionable.  The session will be with the owner, and will include fashion tips, fittings and pictures.  They have clothes for sizes 2 to 22.

A beloved women’s clothing boutique has made its way back to the Upper East Side. Marjory Warren has been bringing stylish and comfortable clothing to women for decades, and became a neighborhood staple with her original location on 3rd Avenue, which opened in 1979. Chris Warren, Marjory’s former daughter-in-law, took over the store’s ownership five years ago when Marjory was ready to retire and moved the shop to the East Village; now she has returned to East 96th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues, to the neighborhood where it all began.

“I had always helped out with the shop through the years," Chris Warren said, “so I have been with the store through many different transitions." The store began as a craft studio, but Marjory started using women’s sweaters to apply the appliques she made in the studio. From there it evolved into a clothing store, and as Chris spent more time in the store she realized her skill for dressing women, even teaching them how to dress for their figure.

“Women come in all different sizes and ages," she said. “So many women get discouraged when they are shopping, but we are ALL beautiful; it’s just a matter of finding what works best for your body." The store moved to Madison Avenue, where “it was extremely beloved by women in the neighborhood," Chris remembers. As Marjory retired, Chris began to look for a more affordable location, but they couldn’t find anything uptown. She moved the store downtown to the East Village, where she stayed for four years. Things were going well in the new neighborhood, but it was a different customer base, so she had to make some adjustments. “Every neighborhood has a different feel to it," she said. “We had a lot of great foot traffic in the Village, but it never had the same sense of community you find uptown."

Her business savvy allowed her to roll with the punches, and brought an opportunity to bring a lot of her own identity into the store. “I had to curate to a new customer base downtown, but I think my aesthetic has a much more solid customer base in this area. Things were going well until Hurricane Sandy wiped out the downtown area, and although the store was lucky to avoid any physical damage, Warren says they still took a hit. Business slowed down as the area began rebuilding itself, and Warren started worrying about the store’s future. She took free business classes offered by the city, and through a program called Fast Track, she learned a lot about what it takes to keep a small business profitable in today’s economy.

“Once the success of the store was solely on my shoulders, I knew I had to make a major change to keep it alive," she said. “I’m an artist myself, so I’m always trying to look at things with a new perspective."

Warren is also a photographer and painter, and her creative nature can be seen all around her store. After searching for a new space, Warren was happy to find a new home in the store’s original neighborhood.

“Being multi-generational is a big thing for me," she said. “I want to create a place where women of all ages, all sizes, can come and connect with one another. This store is a place that celebrates women."

Item Special Note

Expires on March 31, 2016.