Company: Sydney's Closet
Contact: Phyllis Brasch Librach, President and Founder; Erin Delanty, Internet Marketing Director
Location: Maryland Heights, MO
Industry: Retail, Online
Annual revenue: Confidential
Number of employees: 5

Quick Read:

In 2003, Phyllis Librach launched a Web site dedicated to providing plus-size prom dresses. Personalization has always been an underlying goal for Librach, who started the site after seeing her plus-size daughter attempt, in vain, to find a prom dress. "In a world where thin is in, I found it agonizing and unfair that millions of teens and young women like my daughter were fashion-starved for plus-size formal wear."

Since its launch, the company has significantly expanded its product selection by offering plus-size formal dresses for black-tie events, weddings, and cocktail events. In 2008, it introduced casual dresses. Its most significant merchandising strategy was the creation of Sydney's Closet Executives, a specially designed collection of dresses sold under the "Sydney's Closet" label.

By expanding its product line to include plus-size formal wear for occasions beyond proms, the site attracted a significantly wider demographic, ranging in age from 15 to 80.

The site attracts 10,000 to 25,000 unique visitors a day from all over the world. The company has recorded double-digit growth in revenue every year since its launch.

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