Getting the Look for Less MY BEST FRIEND’S CLOSET

Love designer women’s fashion but don’t love the price? Have something in your closet that you chose for a specific occasion and wonder what to do with it now? My Best Friend’s Closet may be just the place for you.

Since 2003 My Best Friend’s Closet has been providing area women with a distinctive shopping experience. Located at 11 9th Street South in Moorhead, My Best Friend’s Closet provides a unique atmosphere with a personal touch to help shoppers find an outfit perfect for work, play or extra special occasions.

Owner Glenda Haugen and store manager Elizabeth Larson work closely to create a shop that truly meets their clients’ needs. Both are graduates of Concordia College but their paths have been quite different so they bring diverse yet compleementary skills to their work. Glenda, a history and political science major, taught high school social studies, worked in pricing for an oil company and in marketing for the Arthritis Foundation, the YMCA, and Dakota Supply Group before purchasing My Best Friend’s Closet nine years ago. Elizabeth, a more recent graduate of Concordia worked at the store through college while she was studying marketing and apparel and design. After a brief time working as a buyer for Christopher and Banks in Minneapolis she is back to share her expertise with her customers and coworkers.

The Top Shelf, as the entry room of the store is named, is where shoppers begin and where they will find a wide selection of jewelry and accessories to get the creative, couture juices flowing. “Accessories can add so much interest and personality to an outfit,” explains Glenda, “and can be a fun and inexpensive way to give new life to a standard piece of your wardrobe that you may have had for years.”

Continuing through the 4,000 square foot shopping area, customers will find clothes arranged by type, size and color. In the area known as The Cream of the Crop name brand and designer items are featured. Many of the consigned items come from people who shop regularly in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York, so the merchandise may be a bit different, and ahead of the trends, than what is offered in department stores in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

As shop owner Glenda Haugen describes it, “meeting the public and providing personal service is central to the shop’s focus.” Staff members know many of the customers by name and will even make note to call a customer if something specific that they have been searching for comes in on consignment.

Another wonderful amenity available at My Best Friend’s Closet is a free personal shopper service. Simply call ahead for an appointment and fill out a form with pertinent information, and your personal shopper will put together a selection of clothes to help you begin your shopping. With your feedback, she will be able to fine tune the choices to help you be more efficient with your time while achieving the desired look.

Not only can a person get fashion advice in the warm and friendly atmosphere of the store, you are invited to check out the store’s Facebook page or website at www. mybestfriendscloset.biz where the blog section is full of seasonal fashion advice with entries on layering tips for fall, ways to wear a scarf and much more.

Many special promotions are offered at the store on an ongoing basis. For instance there is a frequent buyer program with credit given for each $10 purchase, and coupons are often available on their website. Happy Hour is celebrated each Tuesday from 4:00 to 6:30pm with 10% off all purchases. There are also seasonal sales each February and July, as well as their anniversary sale in November.

For those interested in submitting clothes for consignment, good quality merchandise from size 0 to 2X is accepted daily. Consignors can drop in if they have 10 items or less. For consignors with more items an appointment is needed. Clothing is carefully inspected for cleanliness, flaws, suitability and current fashion before it is consigned for resale. On average, the store adds about 1,000 new items weekly. Clothing goes through 3 markdowns in 3 months. If it hasn’t sold after that, the clothing will be donated to various women’s charities or put on their eBay store.

Next time you are ready for a unique shopping experience and are anxious for the thrill of the hunt for something special, visit My Best Friend’s Closet and enjoy!

[AWM]