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Why can't I find
unique clothing lines in Peoria? You can now!
Why are unique clothing lines so expensive? They are more
affordable than you think!
Why is it so hard to find the clothing styles I like? It's
not hard when someone who knows you does the shopping for
you!
Sassy Lady . . . Peoria's one-of-a-kind shopping experience.
The Sassy Lady owners, Pat Drake, Diana Gustin, and Cindy Neal are all owners of other businesses.
As members of the Central Illinois Chapter of NAWBO
(National Association of Women Business Owners) they had
spent a lot of time together.
In 2001 they all flew out of Peoria for a shopping trip.
After several days—and the purchase of additional luggage to
get their Sassy Lady finds home—the friends decided there
was a real need for a store that:
* carried clothing not available in
the Peoria area
* was reasonably priced
* provided over–the–top service.
That’s when Sassy Lady started.
Today, the team
is focused on carrying out their mission and has a designer
studio where sassy ladies throughout the region come to find
their unique style of clothing and also love the friendly,
helpful approach of the “Sassies.”
We are conveniently located
at 4111 North Prospect which is just 2 blocks South of Lake
Street. We have a large parking lot available for
your convenience
Gift certificates are
available!
We help men select that
perfect gift for their loved one and wrap it free of
charge. If they don't know sizes, we carry many one
size fits most items to ease their decision making
process.
A Personal Touch...The boutique of our dreams
When you walk into Sassy Lady, the last thing you could
expect is to be ignored. In fact, Sassy Lady prides itself
on its personal, one-on-one service. The four women who own
Sassy Lady - all of whom own other businesses - aren’t
worried about competition from the bigger chains or
department stores.
“We talked about why we leave town to go shopping, and we
thought that’s what we need to focus our attention on,” said
Diana Gustin, one of the owners of Sassy Lady. “That
personal touch. Where do you find that anymore?”
“When we get something in that we know one of our customers
is looking for or might like, we will pick up the phone and
call them and say it is in the store - come see it, “
co-owner Pat Drake said. It’s the things you just don’t get
anymore with larger stores. Sassy Lady also maintains an
extensive e-mail list and will advise customers when a new
line arrives.
Sassy Lady started in January of 2003 with the little idea
of holding several truck shows each year. However, the
business quickly grew and is now open Monday - Friday 10 - 6
and Saturday from 10 - 4 at 4111 North Prospect in Peoria
Heights, IL. Sassy Lady offers brands names that aren’t
available in the area and the store targets women aged 30
and older.
Sassy Lady helps shoppers find the perfect outfit by
assessing the customer’s body type, fashion personality,
color season and offering suggestions about what looks good.
“We won’t let our customers out the door in something that
just doesn’t look good on them,” Drake said. “You’ll
definitely get honesty from us!”
Upon walking inside the store, a customer is greeted by
music and a comfortable seating area at the back of the
store. Each piece of clothing on the racks was selected
because of its “sass” or flair and uniqueness. While being
unique, Sassy Lady strives to carry clothing that looks
wonderful, but is comfortable to wear.
“All of our clothes have some zip or sass to them, some
beading, embroidery,” Diana Gustin, co-owner stated, such as
hand painted artist pieces, along with evening wear and
everything in between.
Each owner also has some sassiness to her personality, hence
the name, Drake said, who is described
as the “dramatic” one. Gustin and Cindy Neal are more
conservative, which is a nice balance. “We don’t want to get
too far out,” Cindy quipped.
The idea for the store was hatched shortly after the women, all admitted shopaholics, returned from a four-day
shopping trip to Texas. “We were talking about our desire to
open a clothing store,” Drake said. “The idea grew and
flourished after that trip.”
The women started planning and researching, scouting
locations and settling initially on the Peoria Riverfront.
Before a year was up, Sassy Lady knew it needed to have a
larger space, centralized location and more convenient
operating hours. We started looking and, shortly thereafter,
4111 North Prospect went on the market and we were fortunate
enough to buy a lovely building that now houses Sassy Lady,
a beauty salon, Express Professional Services and an
insurance office. Sassy Lady has two large display windows,
free parking, a great location and the wonderful business
networking of Peoria Heights!
We also bring our collective knowledge of the business world
to the store. Diana owns and operates Joan’s Trophy &
Plaque Company with her husband, Don; Pat owns and operates
a medical staffing business called Fidelity On Call; and
Cindy owns Express Professional Services, a staffing business.
We have known each other for many years, are members of the
National Association of Women Business Owners, and have
traveled extensively together to business conferences. “We
all get along really well,” Diana said. That helps when
making tough business decisions. We have one fast and true
rule - at least two have to agree. Our suppliers say
they’ve never seen a group agree the way we do.
Business aside, perhaps the best part of running Sassy Lady
is that it’s fun! And, we all love the customer service and
the friendships that have occurred because of the store.
Sassy Lady has a lower level with a kitchen (including a
microwave, refrigerator and dining area) where we host
parties or conferences. Red Hat Clubs, church groups and
others have all enjoyed a time shopping and then celebrating
with fun and food in the basement. we also offer seminars on
how to know your body type, fashion personality, and fashion
season.
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