Designer Dress Days’ 52nd annual sale will begin Oct. 16.
Hosted by the National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland at Thriftique Showroom in Bedford Heights, the three-day sale ending Oct. 18 will feature brands such as Rag and Bone, Prada and Armani.
Athleisure apparel, contemporary designer styles and furs will also be featured. However, jewelry and accessories will not be available at this year’s sale.
Those attending the sale on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 must reserve a time slot in advance by calling 216-379-7238; shoppers entering the store will be tallied on Oct. 18. Masks and social distancing are required, and this year, dressing rooms will be closed.
“That’s the one big change,” said Kelly Markowitz of Solon, a vice president of retail operations for NCJW/CLE along with Debbie Rosenthal of Orange, both members of Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. “Otherwise, it’s the usual clothes and everything, but we definitely want to maintain the safety of everybody.”
This year’s event will also feature pandemic pricing, Markowitz said.
“It’s always been discounted, but this year with the pandemic, we thought (we’d) make it a little lower and have even better pricing just to kind of kick it out of the ballpark and make it a great event during this crazy time,” she said.
Markowitz said in past years the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood has hosted the event, and the move to Thriftique Showroom was strategic. The venue is smaller and will allow staff more control over crowds.
“Because all the proceeds benefit so many people – families and children and women in Northeast Ohio – we were trying to figure out ways in which we could make it happen no matter what,” Markowitz said.
Designer Dress Days’ proceeds pay for the organization’s volunteer activities, social justice work and educational programs. Projects focus on foster care, literacy improvement and restoring dignity to sexual abuse victims as well as educational and advocacy work for women’s rights, voter rights and human trafficking survivors.