Dress for Success grows in Charlotte to support more women
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Dress for Success has a new dressing room space with seven fitting rooms where women can try on clothes. Volunteers serve as personal stylists, selecting items from the donation center to create a luxury boutique experience that helps women feel confident and supported. Photo: Alexis Clinton/Axios
The Charlotte branch of nonprofit Dress for Success recently relocated to a new facility to expand services for women seeking economic independence.
Why it matters: The move comes as the nonprofit sees growing need for career support, professional attire and coaching programs across the Charlotte region.
Driving the news: The new 12,466-square-foot facility at 2128 Remount Road opened with an upgraded boutique dressing room, mobile pantry through a partnership with Nourish Up, and a larger donation center.
State of play: The organization says the new site gives staff more room for coaching, workshops and donation intake as they scale their offerings.
- Dress for Success Charlotte provides one-on-one career coaching, job-readiness training, financial education and workforce development resources.
By the numbers: The organization has served more than 13,000 women in Charlotte since it opened 25 years ago.
- In 2024 alone, the nonprofit provided support to 677 clients.
Zoom in: About 80% of clients are low-income, according to executive director Emily Wheeler.
- At least 66% of the women served were single mothers.
What they're saying: Many women are struggling to keep up as basic living costs rise.
- "Housing, transportation, healthcare, food to raise children — basic needs — continue to rise," Wheeler said. "Cost to live here is going up, but wages aren't increasing enough to support women in keeping up. Women are already starting several steps behind."
The intrigue: Women aren't just seeking help; they're coming back more often, Wheeler says.
- Over the past five years, repeat participation in programs and services has grown 375%. In the first half of 2024, overall demand for services rose by another 50% compared to the year prior, Wheeler says.
The big picture: Staff members say the expanded space will help them host more workshops, strengthen partnerships and increase access to professional attire for job seekers.
What's next: Dress for Success Charlotte is seeking donations, volunteers and employer partnerships as it expands staff, scales its career-pipeline programs and extends service reach into Gaston and Cabarrus counties.
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