Elizabeth Bates graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans but moved away post graduation to start her career in Southern California. Years later, she’s back. As of July 1st, by way of Michigan, Bates is back to grow her startup in the big easy.
Bates is the “Five-Foot Founder” of The Petite Shop, the first online boutique dedicated to petite clothing for women 5’4” and under, which recently launched its first collection after its October 2012 founding.
“Being five-feet tall, I’ve spent my adult life frustrated by the lack of attractive yet appropriate clothing that fits me off the rack, so I’ve had to try to force my regular clothes into petite submission with the help of a tailor. It simply didn’t make sense anymore,” said Bates.
“My business solves a problem in a way that has not been done before,” said Bates.
Bates hopes the online boutique can become the one-stop shop for all types of petite clothing, including hard to find items such as unique petite jeans, petite maxi dresses, petite maxi skirts, beaded and lace petite cocktail dresses, and structured petite jackets and blazers.
“We’ve been scouring the world of fashion in search of well-known, high-quality brands offering petites, as well as independent designers – for those who already design for petite women, and for those who will work with us on exclusive designs proportioned for petites.”
The Shop is dedicated exclusively to sizes 000P through 16P.
The site utilizes advanced technologies for both ease and security while browsing and purchasing petite clothing online. The industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology protects buyer information and data, while orders and securely processed by PayPal.
According to Bates’ calculations, petite women in the U.S. (ages 20-39) spend approximately $3.5 billion annually on clothing online. “Historically, women’s petite clothing sales have made up approximately 10% of total women’s apparel sales, so my conservative estimate is that this market is $350 million annually,” Bates continued.
Bates said, “it’s time for a change – of clothes – for petite women!” and for clothing manufacturers to realize that petite does not refer to weight, but to stature. To shop the petite styles arriving daily, visit thepetiteshop.com.