All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go

Slot machines, showgirls, and cocktails oh my!

I walked into the windowless arcade in five inch stilettos and a gallon of Crystal Geyser water in my right hand. I was feeling focused and in a good mood, despite the cigarette smoke that rudely insisted on creeping inside my leopard print dress. The air tasted like steak and sounded like chaos, which if you aren’t familiar with, sounds like a symphony of ice cubes in cocktail glasses, heels on marble floors, oohs and aahs of luck and defeat, and the shrill, unhappy laughter that always seems to well up from somewhere slightly to my left. It was a typical Saturday night in Las Vegas, and I was heading to work.

From the hours of six to midnight, I sing my siren songs perched atop a baby grand, wearing costumes that’ll have you asking yourself who framed Rodger Rabbit. I’m quite fond of drinking old fashioned's in between sets, but on occasion, I’ve been known to indulge in a tumbler or two of top shelf bourbon. If you know where to look once inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel, you’ll find me, most likely purring into a pink rhinestoned microphone or sitting crosslegged at the bar next to some fascinating stranger whose name I’ll no doubt forget by the morning.

A familiar stranger walks into the bar...

On this particular night, I felt eyes on me…not in the usual sense, but in the sense that something was different because a certain someone was there. As the cymbals snared and the bass fluttered, I squinted into the spotlight, surveying the crowd while singing the last notes of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine. I slinked my way off stage and moved past the bar, slowing my gait ever so slightly before looking at her again. The girl with the long auburn hair, delicate features, and fiery eyes met mine. “Hey,” she smiled, “I’m Marissa. You might not remember me, but we met 9 years ago.”

You’d be surprised, but a lot of good things come out of New Jersey (Meryl Streep, Frank Sinatra, and Taylor’s ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches for starters). For me, meeting Marissa is also on that list. The year was 2011. I was the current Miss NJ Teen USA and Marissa was competing for the Miss NJ USA title. Backstage, we shared a few laughs, discussed a mutual love of travel, and shared our social media accounts so we could stay in touch once the pageant weekend was over. Truth is, we didn’t stay in touch. Aside from the occasional double tap on each other’s photos, we were but mere acquaintances. She was in town for the WWD Magic fashion trade show, and figured she’d check out the speakeasy supper club I’m always posting about on my Instagram. I sat down next to her at the bar, thanked her for coming, and asked her to fill me in on what she’s been up to. Turns out, Marissa has been single handedly building one of the nation’s most successful small businesses; a business that she’s created, owned, and operated for the last 2 years.

Once upon a time a supermodel graduated from Harvard and started her own business- a true story

Growing up, I never believed in unicorns, fairytales, or supermodels that attended Harvard. Now that I’ve gotten to know Marissa, I know that they exist. After walking the runway for New York Fashion Week, spending a few years in Australia, and ultimately graduating Harvard with a Masters in International Relations, she entered corporate America with more than enough brains and beauty to succeed. In time however, it became apparent that the whole 9-to-5 where you sit-in-a-cubicle-and-stare-at-the-clock-dreading-every-moment-till-you-can-finally-leave thing, wasn’t for her. Instead of accepting a fate filled with deadlines and dead ends, she took a bold leap of faith. She quit her job, giving up a comfortable salaried life in the process, and started brainstorming where she would focus her energies. Mulling over the possibilities, her mind always seemed to drift to formalwear. The moments she felt most beautiful were when she was strutting her stuff on the catwalk in a couture gown, celebrating at a black tie gala amongst friends, or competing in the evening wear competition at a pageant. Marissa wanted to have a helping hand in giving women the confidence and charisma that high end fashion gave her. She started dreaming of her very own showroom, meeting customers face to face and sharing in the excitement of every wedding, prom, or special occasion that each dress was purchased for. By September of 2017, she wrote a business plan that was “much longer and more detailed than [her] Master’s thesis,” and by November of 2018, Lady Black Tie formalwear business and showroom opened in Andover, Massachusetts. Marissa is a business owner which in and of itself is impressive, but what’s more is that she built it with zero outside funding, no investors, and not a dollar of debt in sight. Can you say girl boss much?!

One step forward, two steps back

But the celebration almost ended as soon as it began. After a month in business, she was almost out of business. Lady Black Tie couldn’t afford to stay open at the rate they were selling (or not selling) dresses, but Marissa was determined to see her vision through. Sales in the store steadily increased, but it wasn’t enough. She decided to set up an online store, and as soon as she did, Lady Black Tie sales skyrocketed. In no time at all, she went from selling eight dresses a month, to selling eight dresses an hour, 24 hours a day. Like any successful entrepreneur, Marissa is no stranger to hurdling obstacles and turning them into opportunities, but the coronavirus outbreak has proven to be a particularly difficult challenge for Lady Black Tie and the fashion industry at large. As social distancing has become a grim reality for the world’s population, stores have been forced to shut down.

COVID-19 isn’t just infecting people; it’s infecting businesses.

Since meeting each other again for the first time two months ago in Vegas, Marissa and I have been in touch on a weekly basis. When the strip and its shows went dark (and consequently I was out of a job), I FaceTimed Marissa to see how this strange apocalypse was affecting Lady Black Tie. “This totally sucks,” Marissa grumbled while tossing a tiny green umbrella into her afternoon mint mojito. I looked at her and laughed. “Welcome to my extended vacation,” she shrugged. “I've always said that I’m in a business that focuses on the lighter side of life, and this virus crap has made everything so dark and serious. I got into this industry because I want to have fun, sell pretty dresses, and meet new people. Now a days, if you so much as go to shake someone’s hand they look at you like you’re going to murder them with your germs.”

In between sips, she went on to tell me how the slow but precipitous decline of sales began. “The first sign of trouble was when shipments weren’t arriving from China. I knew about the virus, and I was also aware that the Chinese government might be unwilling to accurately report its seriousness and scope. Most of our factories are located in China, and once news of the virus broke out, all imports came to a screeching halt. Since COVID-19 made its way to Massachusetts, I’ve closed our doors, laid off employees, and am figuring out how to make ends meet until it’s safe to resume life. So, cheers to that I guess.”

The question at hand; how do you sell dresses to a society that has nowhere to wear them to?

90% of Lady Black Tie’s revenue comes from online sales, so operations haven’t shut down completely despite the physical store being closed. There’s just one problem; how do you sell dresses to a society that has nowhere to wear them to? People aren’t purchasing celebration attire because there’s not a lot to celebrate. Events are being canceled, there’s no prom to dance awkwardly at, no pageants to win, and no weddings for brides to vow their I do’s. In fact, it is now ILLEGAL to have a congregation of six or more non-family individuals. So, unless you’ve suddenly got some big sexy black tie family reunion to go to, chances are you’re staying inside and getting fat while binge-watching Tiger King.

But Marissa hasn’t given up. To compensate for the informal nature of the world at the moment, Lady Black Tie is introducing styles for the modern day quarantined woman (face-masks and latex gloves not included). These new dresses are the perfect option for the woman who wants to go to the grocery store in something other than ugly sweatpants and a t-shirt. Just because the world is on pause doesn’t mean women have to submit to a life of feeling or looking any less fabulous. Aside from offering new styles, Lady Black Tie is giving 15% off for some sweet coronavirus savings. Glass half full, am I right?

Powering through the pandemic

Marissa’s story is just one of the many instances of local operations in turmoil, but personally knowing someone whose entire life is affected by the events at hand puts things into perspective. One of the things that makes the United States so incredible is our local businesses, and they’re taking a major hit. Keeping female owned and operated small businesses alive at this time is a critical part of exercising our solidarity and support as a global community. Bottom line is, Lady Black Tie is hurting, and its story is one of determination, grit, and breaking the glass ceiling. So, what can we do to assure Lady Black Tie survives?

It's time to make room in our hearts and in our closets

Buy something for yourself, give a Lady Black Tie gift to a loved one, share this story on social media, and tell your friends! Head to www.ladyblacktie.com, use the discount code BLACKTIE15 for 15% off, and share @ladyblacktie on Instagram and Facebook. Make a point to tell your friends that this is more than just a dress store; it’s the life’s work of one young woman who put in the blood, sweat, and tears to see her vision come to fruition, and that is something to get behind! If I have faith in anyone, it’s Marissa, but it’s going to take a lot more than just one person to help Lady Black Tie make it through this strange and trying time. Please help me in supporting this female owned and operated business and let’s kick COVID-19’s ass and look good doing it.