Downtown Glens Falls is in the midst of a Cinderella story. Some may argue that the transformation of this place isn’t quite as magical as a pumpkin turning into a horse-drawn carriage, but when one takes a stroll down Glen Street, it’s hard not to feel a little something different in the air.
Saratoga Sundress, the trendy young women’s boutique at 10 Warren St., has now added to that palpable vibe.
Dresses displayed in the large glass windows beckon those who walk and drive by to throw that pesky budget out the window and give in to temptation. As soon as you step through the door, you’re greeted by a wide assortment of rompers, dresses, tops, jumpsuits and shorts in various colors, patterns and textures that hang from copper piping against a backdrop of exposed brick. It’s not simply a store but rather an experience. It’s personal.
“We want each of our customers to be ‘the best-dressed girl in the room,’” managing partner Amanda Ivers says. “When you walk through our door, we want you to feel as though you just stepped into the closet of your best friend or cool older sister.”
They also strive to give you a one-of-a-kind look. “We try to accommodate everyone’s style when selecting the merchandise,” owner Jessica Hoesel says. “We only carry one size run of each item in the store so women feel unique when they go to an event. We want a customer to feel good in [her] purchase. We don’t push sales because if our customers feels and looks good, then they advertise for us by wearing our merchandise.”
Glens Falls is the fifth location of the family-owned chain. The first opened in Saratoga Springs in 2007 and then spread to Latham, New York, and Fort Myers, Florida, as well as a seasonal pop-up at the Saratoga Race Course.
“The building we are currently in had so much charm that we couldn’t say no,” Hoesel says. “It provides another floor for other Saratoga Sundress purposes besides a retail store. We also once had a store in Aviation Mall so we built up a clientele and we wanted to be closer for our customers.”
She continues: “We hope that Saratoga Sundress will bring customers in for the other businesses downtown, and it will be a great little downtown area to walk around for any tourist who comes to Lake George. I believe that other businesses will want to be a part of the growing downtown scene and then Glens Falls will have more to offer.”
What’s next for the Sundress crew? They are heading online. “It’s happening very soon,” Ivers says. “We just don’t want to lose the brand in the transition.”
Even though the store currently doesn’t have a website, they ship merchandise for free from their Instagram page if a customer calls the store.
