Tiffany Whitehead needed clothes to wear to a job interview but didn’t have the extra money to buy what she needed.
Thanks to a local nonprofit, though, she got the clothes — and later the job.
“I went in feeling like an eight and came out feeling like a 20,” said Whitehead, a 29-year-old mother of two and resident of City of Refuge, which provides resources for people in need.
Whitehead received a shopping “spree” at Free Fab’rik in Midtown, a self-styled “community boutique.” She met with a personal stylist who helped her select a jacket, blouse, purse and other accessories to round out her interview wardrobe.
And it cost her nothing.
“You go in there feeling like maybe you don’t have the nicest things to wear and come out looking your very best,” she said. “They are there to show us that we are beautifully and wonderfully made in Jesus.”
The store is the brainchild of Dana Spinola, CEO and founder of Fab’rik, a chain of retail stores in eight states. Spinola, the daughter of local artists, Myott (no last name) and Anne Williams, quit her job as a computer consultant to follow a dream of owning a chain of clothing boutiques, opening in 2006.
Although she loved her job, she wanted to do more and find a way to give back to the community.
In 2009 , Spinola decided to start a community boutique that would sell donated clothes at reduced prices. Several times a week, she opens the store to select women who work with a stylist to select one outfit at no cost. In addition to the sprees, Free Fab’rik offers women an opportunity to participate in a mentorship and job training program, in which the women learn local retail and social skills. At least five women from City of Refuge have participated in the training program.
“I wanted to have a boutique you could shop in without the pressure of a price tag,” said the University of Georgia graduate. “I didn’t want people to feel like they’re not good enough to be shopping there. I want people to shop with dignity.”
She contacted nonprofits, churches and organizations that work with women to see if they knew of women who could benefit from the mentoring program and the shopping sprees.
The store is now looking for a new home. Spinola recently had to move Free Fab’rik from its Midtown location when a new owner bought the property, but plans to reopen later this summer.
Free Fab'rik will host its third annual charity fashion show, featuring some of the women it has helped as models, to raise funds to support its mission. The fashion show will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the AmericasMart Atlanta, 250 Spring St. N.W., Building 3. Tickets start at $50; for more information, http://bit.ly/1hrTs9w, and for tickets, http://bit.ly/1nHUhh2.
All proceeds from the sale of clothing from the community boutique are poured right back into the nonprofit.
“The idea is that we can all feel beautiful,” she said. “There’s no shortage of clothing and volunteers. Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of women in need.”
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