Dress rental firm finds good fit in Reno

Reno’s new dress rental business, Love That Dress, offers women and girls a place to rent high-end designer apparel for festive gatherings without paying the high-end designer prices.

Sharen Kaiser, owner of Love That Dress, ran the business in Lodi, Calif., for eight years prior to moving to Reno. She and her husband moved to northern Nevada to be closer to her two daughters and grandchildren but she knew she wanted to continue the rental company.

“I wasn’t ready to give up on the concept,” Kaiser said. Kaiser has found the perfect fit for her new Reno location at 527 S. Arlington Ave. inside Arlington Elite Wedding & Events, which is a bridal shop, event planner and catering business all in one.

“(Love That Dress) works great in Arlington,” Kaiser said. “They have such a unique niche and they bring a lot of people into the shop. Arlington already has a tuxedo rental, my dresses add the other side (of the business).”

Her shop offers more than 300 dresses that range from size 0 to 14. Kaiser rents out her shorter dresses for $95 and long evening gowns start at $125. Fittings for rentals are by appointments only.

This business model allows women to save money and closet space. “Girls and women will never wear the same dress again,” Kaiser said.

She explained that she purchases her dresses directly from designers such as Sherri Hill, La Femme, Jovani, Nicole Miller and more. These designers require her to purchase 12 to 15 dresses at a time with each dress starting at $500.

“These are dresses that you cannot get in retail stores,” Kaiser said. The public is invited to Love That Dress’ open house to see the wide selection of dresses. The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1.