Turning a tough situation into a good business |
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| Eleven years ago Albert and Joseph Kashani opened a store on 36th Street in New York City. Like most small specialty stores they had trouble finding the fashion their customers wanted, in the sizes they needed, at the prices they wanted to pay, so they decided to do something about it.
Today, they do business out of a 4500 square foot loft on the same street they started out on. The only difference is that Donna Rae sells to other specialty stores the well made, fashionable designs, in the size ranges and prices that they had trouble buying for themselves. In essence, they've turned a tough situation into a good business, for both their customers and themselves. Specializing in Updated Career Sportswear for the Specialty Store, Albert Kashani travels the world in search of unique fabrications that please the eye, the hand as well as the pocket book. Not only do these fabrics start trends, they are one of the main reasons Doneger, which is just around the corner, and other buying services send so many of their specialty store clients to the fourth floor of 149 West 36th Street. What buyers and this reporter found there are collections of meticulously tailored, lined, and aggressively priced garments sized 2 to 16. The jackets, pants and skirts are designed to address the values, tastes and incomes of today's upper moderate working woman, and from what I saw they have more than accomplished their goal. The other thing I found t was a strong sense of family values and commitment toward the customer. Surely this is because they were once on the other side of the table, and they know first hand how tough it is to make it in the specialty market. What you won't find there are those elastic back trousers that bunch up and look unflattering, because as Albert says, "I don't think any well-dressed woman, especially if she could see herself from the back, would ever wear such a pant if she had a choice". The company's attention to detail and commitment to the customer has recently won Donna Rae stellar reviews from the Tobe Report and strong support from the Doneger Group. This in turn is helping the company attract more business. To handle this new business, expanded into catalog and private label programs as well as develop new ways of giving existing customers even better and more personalized service. s |