Ballston Clothing Shop Donating Dresses To Coronavirus Responders

ARLINGTON, VA — Jane Abraham is trying to generate something positive amid the harsh realities of running a small business in the time of the coronavirus crisis.

Abraham and her daughter Betsy own and operate two Scout & Molly's dress franchises, one in Ballston Quarter and the other at Reston Town Center in Reston. Both locations are currently closed due to the pandemic.

"We tried to stay open as long as was practical," Jane Abraham said. "Long before we closed, we reduced hours and also converted to just doing personal appointments of one or two people at a time."

But that all changed on March 30, when Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order, mandating that all non-essential businesses stay closed until June 10.

"Unfortunately, with the store closed, I've had to layoff my employees," Jane Abraham said. "I had four employees and am hopeful that as soon as we can open back up, we will be able to get everybody back to work."

In the meantime, she and her daughter are taking orders and selling gift certificates online. They've also applied for a PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan, which the Small Business Administration is offering to help businesses retain employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're very hopeful that we can get approved for that and that we can begin to get people back to work sooner rather than later," she said.

While her two shops are closed, Jane Abraham is trying to stay in touch with her customers, many of whom are stuck at home due to the governor's order.

"It's important for us all to support each other right now," she said. "I know that some people are anxious to get right back into purchasing things. Others are having more of a struggle because of either losing their jobs or being laid off and not knowing how long that will last. So, we're very conscious of that."

What Jane Abraham and her daughter want to do for their customers is be supportive in anyway they can, including looking for ways to brighten their lives during tough times.

"We have a heart for the women who are on the frontline, as I know everybody does, nurses, doctors, firefighters, and police officers," Jane Abraham said. "They're pretty focused on the battle right now, and aren't probably able to think about doing things to cheer themselves up."

With this week being Passover and Easter, Jane Abraham and her daughter decided to bring some cheer to these frontline responders.

"Even though people aren't able to go out to celebrate these holidays, our thought is people may want to dress up a little bit at home with their family and recognize the celebrations," Jane Abraham said.

Every time a customer purchases a dress online through April 11, a new dress of equal or lesser value will be given to a frontline responder. Once the purchase is completed, Scout & Molly's will email the customer to get the name and address of the person to whom they want the dress donated.

For those customers who may not know someone on the frontline of the coronavirus fight, Jane Abraham said they were collecting the names and email addresses of frontline responders, which they'll share with customers. Also, anyone who's not looking to buy a dress for themselves may purchase a digital gift card, which can be sent to one of the responders.

"We're trying to help the community, trying to survive as a small business at this time and do what we can," Jane Abraham said.

Related: Arlington Businesses Open or Closed? Let Your Customers Know

This is one in a series of articles Patch is writing about small businesses in the area dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Small business owners can also add their the name of their business to our list of open businesses in Arlington.