Our History

1998 - 2005: Dress for Success

In late 1998, eight visionary women in Jacksonville gathered to consider the plight of low-income women in the community and how they could make a difference in the lives of these women. On June 29, 1999 the Board of Directors adopted the Dress for Success mission statement and officially became Dress for Success Northeast Florida (DSNF), an affiliate of Dress for Success Worldwide.

Thanks to ALLTEL Information Systems the doors opened in December 1999 and our first client was dressed in March 2000. We moved to our permanent home - a ten-room house in downtown Jacksonville - in September, 2000. We remain very grateful to the First United Methodist Church for making this facility available to us rent-free in exchange for renovations.

In July, 2003, we moved to our present location, thanks to WorkSource, the regional workforce development agency. Our agreement with WorkSource allows us to serve women from the WorkSource Career Center at 215 N. Market Street in the heart of downtown Jacksonville.

2006: Success Suits You

In late 2005, the Board of Directors voted to revert back to a local agency helping women, and notified Dress for Success Worldwide that we would end our affiliation. Dress for Success of Northeast Florida was proud to be a Dress for Success affiliate for 5 years. DFS Worldwide provided us with tremendous support, both financial and technical. We are continuing our service to women in Jacksonville under our new name and local direction.

2011: We are closing our doors

Thank you for supporting Success Suits You, Inc. over the years. Since 1999, we have served over 2,000 women with business suits, advice and support for their transition into the workplace. We are dissolving the organization September 30, 2011. We are no longer accepting donations of clothing. We will continue to serve clients as long as we have a reasonable selection of suits to offer, but plan on discontinuing client services by September 15, 2011 at the latest.

One of our strongest supporters was WorkSource, which has provided us with affordable space at 215 N. Market Street since 2004. Due to organizational changes, WorkSource is no longer able to provide space for us. The board of directors met to discuss our next steps, and we agreed that we do not have the financial or human resources to operate in a location outside the building we currently occupy. We will be dissolving the corporation according to our bylaws. We’ll be donating our inventory of clothing and physical assets to organizations that provide support to women in transition. After a careful selection process, we will be gifting the funds that remain in our account to another worthy organization that supports women in the Northeast Florida region.

We’d like to thank all the agencies, volunteers, donors and former board members who supported us since our founding. I’d like to express my personal gratitude to our current board members Patsy Partin, Jo Anne Feustel, and Ann Vasileff for their dedication and passion for our mission. These last few years would not have been possible without them.