dapper & darling: a children´s boutique
Our favorite part of this redemptive opportunity is we aren't redeeming our Afghan neighbors. They're redeeming us by sharing their gifts with us.
Dapper + Darling purchased the tools these women would need to create handmade clothing from their own home and has created their own upcycled clothing line and currently employs five of these women, thus removing all the barriers between them and meaningful employment.
Our favorite part of this redemptive opportunity is we aren't redeeming our Afghan neighbors. They're redeeming us by sharing their gifts with us. They had the talent, we simply provided tools. We are also modeling creation care by using upcycled fabrics saving thousands of gallons of water that would be used to produce new fabrics and eliminating 110 pounds of fabric waste in our first month in business.
Redemptive Opportunity
In 2021 the US Military made the difficult decision to pull out of Afghanistan triggering thousands of Afghanie's seeking refuge in countries around the world. Over1,000 of those refugees ended up in Oklahoma City.
There are many barriers to gaining meaningful employment for these neighbors, many don't speak english, few have transportation, most have young children not quite in school, which creates a need from the mom's to stay at home. On top of that there is the cultural barrier of wives not being alone in public without their husbands. Not only do these barriers rob women from the opportunity to provide needed capital for their families, it robs them of their sense of self-worth, and it robs our community of the very real gifts each of these women possess. They are wonderful seamstresses and create beautiful handmade clothing.
jon mays
Whether it was building teams in corporate restaurants for 15 years, or pastoring at church for 10 years, Jon has always been fascinated by people. Early in 2023 Jon & his wife Mandi decided to do "church in the wild" and left the confines of the traditional model and entered the market place driven to simply love people right where they were. Jon and his wife Mandi and have been married 21 years, and have 4 children, and 4 dogs who are roughly the size of horses.
Contact: jon@thegoodokc.com
Business Model
At Dapper + Darling we live to create community for "moms" through providing children with high-quality, affordable clothing and accessories with positive messaging, that build confidence and promote diversity, as well as monthly Mom Hang outs.
What are the problems that Mom's are facing today?
1. A Harvard study in 2019 showed 51% of mothers with young children struggled with "serious loneliness."
2. Big box stores carry different brands, but the brands often look the same. Self-expression is key to a child developing a sense of self.
3. Clothing isn't cheap and kids outgrow their clothes about every six months which makes the average price tag even harder to swallow as a mom.
Dapper + Darling addresses these issues through the universal language spoken by mom's across the globe. Shopping! By providing juice boxes and fruit snacks for little shoppers, a sensory area for kids to play in, and monthly mom hangouts, Dapper + Darling creates an environment for caregivers to not only shop, but to connect. By carrying small batch brands, custom designed upcycled items, and even a "play clothes" section, our clothing and price points are as unique as the families that shop with us.
As if that weren't enough to separate us from our big box competitors, we offer a 20% buy back on all clothing which keeps our friends coming back and helps us to provide name brands at various price points.
Dapper + Darling isn't merely a boutique. It's a mirror reflecting the diversity of our city.
mollie hayes
Mollie Hayes considers herself a Buffalokie hailing from Buffalo, NY and planting roots in Oklahoma after marrying her husband Tanner. From working with college students as an advisor at TCU to pastoring the operations team at Life.Church she has a passion for seeing positive change in her community. In her spare time she launched two successful businesses over the years. Mollie serves as The Good’s Chief of Operations. She and her husband Tanner have one sassy daughter named Oaklie.
Contact: mollie@thegoodokc.com