Bergen Moms Catering to Daughters’ Demographic with New Ridgewood Store

Business partners and Bergen County residents Shannon Schnall and Carrie Gatto are new to the clothing industry, but the idea for their new Broad Street store, Girls Dancewear Boutique, is based on the experience of shopping for their daughters.

The two mothers, who have three active daughters between them, would have to scour the internet for clothes appropriate for their children’s dance and cheer extracurriculars.

“A lot of places didn’t have what we were looking for, so we decided to make it easy,” Schnall said.

“Girls” will be part specialty store, part hangout for fashion savvy young ladies, Schnall says, offering jackets and clothes designed for “wearing back and forth from cheer and dance”—all with customizable options.

“We want to be somewhere the girls want to be,” she said, noting a "Bling Booth" in the store where customers will be able to add custom lettering to the apparel.

“Girls” will open in the former location of another boutique, LeMi, which closed its doors this summer to transition to online sales.

It will open Saturday, Sept. 7, the same day and next door to another new Ridgewood retail operation.