Provo company succeeds by doing its white line of clothing up right
Deseret News 15Jun99 L4
By Lyraine Jones: Deseret News staff writer

PROVO, UTAH -- Janice Heilner and Hilma Stratford wanted to start a business together, and drawing on their own experience, listening to their customers and with the help of Heilner's husband, they founded Dressed in White three years ago. Operating out of Heilner's house, the store carries white Temple dresses, infant blessing outfits and other accessories. It also operates a mail-order business, selling to LDS Church members nationwide.

Heilner worked as a pattern maker and designer for several years in California and Stratford had a knack for public relations. Together they have managed to put together a successful business by listening to their customers. They paid attention to the preferences of other women, and carefully watched what women wore. They also checked with temple clothing personnel to make sure they understood the requirements.

>From this they came up with guidelines to help them in their buying decisions. Their dresses fit certain styling and design requirements, as well as being made of lightweight and non-allergenic materials. They also require that the dresses be easy to care for and affordable.

Within those guidelines, they are always looking for something different yet priced right. "We try to keep the dresses at a price people can afford," Stratford said. And if the garments don't meet their standards, they return them. "We have to send back a whole order when it isn't what we wanted." They have also designed their own dresses in order to "have something new," but they aren't tryint to compete with other designers.

In three years, they have accumulated more than 20,000 clients and managed to get their catalogs into many LDS Beehive Clothing stores. In addition, they attend conferences like the LDS Women's Conference and Education Week at BYU.