One shop, 1,000 dresses

DENVILLE - Susan Banks has seen her business thrive on Broadway for more than two decades, earning Faith & Begorra a reputation as a destination store for all things Irish, Catholic or a combination of the two.

Her relentless marketing efforts, which in recent years have expanded to social media, also have turned her store's 200-square-foot backroom boutique into a huge marketplace for an even more specific need — First Holy Communion dresses, accessories and gifts.

"I'm a good little marketeer," she said.

This year, Banks stocked about 1,000 of the frilly white gowns and hopes to sell the majority of them before the sacrament takes place at Catholic churches, mostly during a two-week period after Easter.

Part of the store's success is getting an early start on the season, which does not give Faith & Begorra much of a break after what is normally the busiest season of the year for retailers.

"We take Dec. 26 off, then come in and flip the store so it is all Irish up front and Communion here in the back," Banks said, pointing to the sea of small white dresses hanging on tightly-packed racks. "It takes about 2 1/2 days to set this up."

The end result is a hard-earned bonus retail season that for Faith & Begorra is "Bigger than Christmas," according to Banks, who estimates the Communion business accounts for up to 40 percent of her revenue.

The tiny shop bursts at the seams with an inventory of Communion dresses that grows every year. Banks expects to sell at least 600 this season, starting with an early-season sale staged at the Hampton Inn in Parsippany that moved more than 100 dresses, plus accessories like gloves, crucifixes and keepsake medals.

"We always have an event on Super Bowl weekend, even though we're not allowed to call it that, so we just call it a Communion event," Banks said. "People came from about 11 states. People flew in from California."

That big sale is a far cry from the modest business Banks started in 1992 with her husband, Dennis, with no intention of selling Communion dresses.

"I knew when I started that I couldn't make it on Catholic things alone, so we put the Irish with it," Banks said. "That's where the name Faith & Begorra came from."

The Catholic inventory was limited to veils and gifts the first year, but the next year, they sold about 15 dresses.

"It went well and I just started building and building," she said. "It took me 24 years to get to this point."

Early success blossomed by word of mouth and traditional advertising, and their understanding of an underserved niche market.

"The whole reason Dennis and I opened the store was that we had trouble finding things for our children for First Communion," she said.

Now, Banks and manager-buyer Robin Makarski combine their business savvy with keen insight into the needs of customers making what often is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase,.

"Robin and I are both grandmothers," Banks said. "We can identify."

With yearly growth, Banks recently expanded her traditional advertising with a targeted campaign to boost the presence of Faith & Begorra on the Internet.

"The social media started about three years ago but really kicked up last year, and this year I went over the top," Banks said. "The first thing I did was go to the manufacturers of my dresses and saw where they being sold. Then, because there's all these mommy blogs and resident blogs, I contacted them and asked them to mommy blog it, and they did, That just blew the social media right up."

She also advertises on Facebook and through the online marketing service Constant Contact, where she is getting click-through responses that are about four times the normal rate.

"I spoke to people at Constant Contact and Facebook and they said we are off the charts," Banks said. "And when you search First Communion dresses on Google, instead of a specific manufacturer, we come right up."

The results are measurable. "Last year was a breakthrough, we were up about 35 dresses," she said. This year, I'm up 80 dresses. So far."

The massive inventory is tough to manage, but providing a good selection is essential. So are price points, which range from less than $100 to custom couture that can top $1,100.

"We carry all sizes, including the plus sizes. We've never not fit a girl," Banks said. "We're mindful of the styles. We have cotton dresses for the girls who have texture issues. We have beady dresses for the girl who likes the big poof. We have plain dresses. If I could make a T-shirt dress for the sporty girls, I would be a millionaire."

"It's the tiny girls, the gymnasts, the swimmers, the tomboy girls who don't want to put a dress on," Makarski said. "Putting a dress like this on can be a totally different experience. Then you have the other girls who are going for the whole fairy tale."

They also can outfit the boys, a much easier proposition.

"Navy or white," Banks said, pointing to a small display of tiny suits. "And we have the elusive boy's white tie, which you cannot find anywhere."

They also honor the Christian nature of the occasion by assisting select shoppers with extraordinary needs, declining to charge some customers to outfit poor or sick children.

"And we don't tell them until they get to the register, because we want them to choose what they want," she said. "And when they get to the register, we just tell them 'You have enough on your plate.' "

Choosing the customers in greatest need of charity comes with experience.

"You can just tell," she said. "You can see. It's pretty obvious. I know three of them who were buried in their Communion dress. It isn't just about the dress. It's about the sacrament."

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.