Get Dressed Closing in May
photo by John Morris at GoodnightRaleigh
Mel Snyder opened Get Dressed last February, replacing the previous consignment shop Purple Armchair. The store was home to a handful of goods by local artists and lots of funky retro outfits.
Unfortunately, Snyder has decided to close the shop’s doors in the middle of May. This is very sad news for local bargain shoppers and other culture vultures as Get Dressed was becoming a great venue for parties and film screenings. Hipsteria Modern also moved into the space back in January.
This is more evidence that Glenwood South (or at least one block off) and Downtown Raleigh in general is still a shaky market for retail.
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Glenwood South Fashion Clothing Consignment Get Dressed
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Cindy H.
04/05 10:00 AM
Just my luck. I love this shop. Best bargains for awesome clothes in the area. Guess I better fill up before May. :(
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T-Plain
04/05 10:35 AM
How is this evidence that the physical location is to blame when businesses close? I’d been there and it was cool enough, I guess, but cool don’t pay the bills. There are other places around that provide culture and bargains. I’m not in the know about the reason behind this particular decision, but my first guess wouldn’t be its location.
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Jon Williams
04/05 11:00 AM
@T-Plain: The thesis is that while Glenwood South is an excellent location if you’re in the business of separating the scenesters from their drinking money, retailers (whose customers are generally shopping while the aforementioned crowd is sleeping it off) aren’t seeing anything like the same spending patterns.
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Kate
04/05 01:05 PM
That is a real shame. It is a great store.
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Tyler Durden
04/05 02:04 PM
This place was great. The woman working gave me a free beer while I shopped there once. They even let my girlfriend and I come in with our bikes. They were dog-friendly too and had nice plans for Friday evening film showings. Booooo. This sucks.
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KateT
04/05 02:21 PM
I was at another consignment store last weekend and was looking for a men’s suit or jacket. They didn’t have much so I asked the cashier where else in Raleigh to go for young men’s clothing. She suggested maybe Get Dressed and I said I wasn’t necessarily looking for vintage. She shrugged and said “the mall?”
Seriously, can’t this area’s growing population support better options than chain stores? -
Lisa Jeffries
04/05 07:43 PM
^ Seriously! Women’s retail is in ok shape, but guys are out of luck.
Mall is such a dirty word!
And while I think Glenwood can be a decent location for retail, I think West street is just “too far off the beaten”, sadly. You know, unless you’re Ornamentea. But they are specialty, and people will go out of their way for a specialty retailer.
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Amy G H
04/06 07:42 AM
Nooo! This is terrible news, I love that store! :(
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Andi
04/06 02:24 PM
We’re really sad about the closing too and will miss all of our customers, especially those that became friends. Stop by and say “bye” before May 15th!
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abbsouth
04/06 10:04 PM
get dressed will be very missed! how will we get dressed now??? and who will give us PBR and Sierra Mist while we shop? seriously, this is bad news all the way around. landlord should comp the rent, they should be so lucky as to have all those lovely, cool ladies running the joint!
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denise
04/07 11:49 AM
What a loss! I loved this store…what will happen to Hipsteria??
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DLGuerra
04/07 11:52 AM
Get Dressed made the street more alive, and it was fun to see its lively facade opposite Ornamentea. It’s a fact that Ornamentea is a destination place for serious jewelry designers, but for the vintage clothing aficionado, Get Dressed’s loss is a blow. Owner Mel had a wonderful concept. Hopefully she will be able to renew her vision down the line as we thank her for a contribution to Raleigh’s retail and artistic endeavors.
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John
04/07 12:28 PM
Glenwood South needs a specific development that will create a shopping experience that will be destination oriented with options. The nightlife works because it’s a singular destination with lots of options. The same is needed for retail. Few people will come to the area to shop at ONE store. The way I see it, the area along West St. needs a large mixed use development with retail and housing. I can imagine a much denser North Hills type development that rises 6-10 floors with hundreds of apartment and condos above retail and leisure establishments that are different from what is in the neighborhood today. I can imagine such a project having an Apple Store, Urban Outfitters & Crate and Barrel as main anchors to a collection of chain and independent retailers and lunch type cafes. The location can draw downtown employees during lunch and immediately after work and residents in the evenings. Weekends would bring addtional business for those who want to shop, eat and party (later on) in one locale. Ultimately, the project would include hotels for the convention center, an urban multi-screen movie theater and non-drinking evening activities like bowling. It would also jump over Peace St. to include the area where the city now stores the garbage trucks.
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Cynthia Deis
04/07 11:49 PM
Lisa Jeffries-I will print out your comment and post it on my wall!
Retail is VERY HARD WORK, folks. Selling used cool is even harder. Mel worked intensely at a very difficult business and remained open during a time when the pockets of many in our city were more tightly closed than ever. A vintage 50s leopard swing coat is a splurge, no matter how inexpensive it is.
West Street is a destination, right now, for any store located there. While I would like to see the street redeveloped, I really hope that it does not go the way of North Hills with all those chain stores crowding out independents. How about a bit of funky mixed-use rehabs and new construction? I’m dreaming about non-chain retail, some second+ story residential, a decent indy coffee place, no more bars… I’d like to imagine a few of the low-slung O/I buildings getting torn down and replaced by these wish-list items…the city could help by adding sidewalks, stop signs and a decent bus shelter for the R-4 bus stop.
(btw: I’m the owner of Ornamentea; we were on Glenwood before there was a Glenwood South and we are still pioneering here on West Street…)
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Lisa Jeffries
04/08 11:11 PM
Cynthia, I could not agree more!
“While I would like to see the street redeveloped, I really hope that it does not go the way of North Hills with all those chain stores crowding out independents.”
John had me hooked until he likened it to North Hills and chain stores.
If somebody/somebodies want to invest the time and capital to bring Cynthia’s idea to life, I’d be happy to be one of the first commercial tenants :-)
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John
04/09 01:41 AM
I likened it to North Hills because I needed something to relate to. I have been a resident of the immediate area since the 90’s and know that it will take a significant and purposeful development to energize Glenwood South from a retail perspective. This will mean that it will have to include some chains. Raleigh is too small and its urban renaissance is too early in its infancy to expect any significant independent development anytime soon. I could lie and paint a pollyanna viewpoint of a utopian situation but it’s not going to happen. I’m sorry but that’s the way it is. The best we can hope for is a mix of independent and chain stores and hope that the footprint of any particular store doesn’t allow for mega big box stores.
To me, the other option is nothing happens and independents continue to struggle in low traffic market. -
bruce wayne
09/16 11:46 PM
Mary Ellen is my ex and I am not surprised she screwed it up
bruce wayne
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