Deborah Wiggins' grandmother founded The Clothes Tree in Birmingham, Alabama, 60 years ago, with the intent to help dress the professional woman and mother of brides. It evolved through the years, and Deborah opened the second location in Middle Tennessee three years ago, selling luxurious, high-end gowns and eventwear. “It was always on my bucket list to have another store, and Brentwood is where I wanted to be.” Thanks to one of her sales reps, she found the perfect place. “On the back wall was a painting of a tree, which was the very first tree logo my grandmother used when she started her store. I thought, ‘That's it, that's my sign, this is where I want to be.”
As the boutique in Birmingham evolved to include a focus on formalwear, The Clothes Tree in Brentwood has its own unique flair/flavor. “We love Brentwood and the surrounding communities, and we want to help them dress for events that are important to them,” says Deborah. “We have found our niche in formalwear. We do a lot of pageants, proms, homecoming, and bridal events.” While customers can purchase carefully chosen selections available at the store, Deborah says, “We also do a lot of couture. We bring in designers from different vendors that we carry. One of our top designers is Jovani. They create and design one-of-a-kind pieces alongside the customer. It’s cool for our customers to see their style come to life, combining all the things that they know they're looking for when they're shopping, but they can’t quite find that one thing that they want.” Working with a designer, whether for a wedding, pageant, gala, or a homecoming celebration, can allow customers to create their dream gown. “Customers can bring a picture of this, a picture of that, and then, with the help of our staff and the designer from New York, we have a lot of fun getting together and creating exactly what they want.” While she’s still very hands-on, splitting her time between the Birmingham and Brentwood stores, Deborah trusts her staff. “I have a fantastic team. They can put together anything that anybody needs. They’re so good that I was able to go on a two-week vacation to Italy and not worry! I’ve never done that before. They care about people. My grandmother instilled in me that customer service is number one.”
Deborah is looking forward to many fall events and is especially excited about one in particular. “I connected with Bari Beasley, the President & CEO of the Heritage Foundation, when we came to Tennessee almost three years ago. She’s from Alabama, too. I'm working with the Heritage Foundation ball committee now, preparing for their fall event, The Heritage Ball.” The Heritage Ball keeps the history of historic homes alive, raising money to bring awareness to preservation. “The first group that opened their arms to us and wanted us to be a part of their organization was the Heritage Ball.”
When asked how she makes sure that looks aren’t duplicated if she has to dress multiple people for the same event, Deborah says, “We have a log and we keep track of everything.” Whether it’s a homecoming, prom, or an upcoming gala like the Heritage Ball, each event has a page in her store’s system. While Deborah stocks gowns one can’t find in a department store, there are other specialty stores around. If customers want to make sure they don’t see someone else in their dress, she has a fix. “There’s always the option to design something no one else has. If they shop in enough time to consult our designer, then they will definitely will be wearing something that no one else has!"
“One thing I love to do, one of my favorite things,” Deborah says, “is to take something in the store that someone comes in to buy and change it up. There are lots of things we can do to make it different. If it’s two shoulders, we make it one, or make it strapless. We might add stoning. We have fantastic alterations people who do miracles.” After the Heritage Ball wraps up, The Clothes Tree will gear up for pageant season. The store is an official sponsor for Miss Tennessee as well as Miss Tennessee USA. “Pageants really brought us to Middle Tennessee. We’re learning a lot, and getting ready for Miss Tennessee and Miss Alabama to go to Miss America.”
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