Little
Dress for Success
Nonprofit Career and Workforce Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
Project Type
Adaptive Reuse, Workplace Interiors
Size
12,004 Square Feet
Design Services
Interior Architecture
Dress for Success Charlotte's new home gives women a place to find their footing, build confidence, and move toward lasting economic independence.
For 25 years, Dress for Success Charlotte has helped women across the region take the next step in their careers through professional styling, career coaching, financial education, and job training. It works alongside more than 80 referral agency partners, and nearly 800 women used its services in 2025. When the organization outgrew its 5,040-square-foot South End location, it moved into a 12,004-square-foot building on Remount Road. Little designed the renovation around one idea: every woman who walks in should feel valued from the moment she arrives.
Project Goals
Make room for a growing mission without losing the personal touch that defines it.
As demand for its programs kept rising, Dress for Success Charlotte needed one home for its boutique, donation intake, warehouse operations, coaching, workshops, conference rooms, and private meeting areas. All of it had to fit inside an existing building with its own layered history, on a nonprofit budget. And, since 61% of clients are mothers and 68% are single heads of household, the space needed to feel like a place of support rather than a service counter.
Objectives
- Create a boutique experience that feels personal, dignified, and confidence-building
- Bring retail, warehouse, coaching, and community functions together under one roof
- Make budget-conscious choices that still deliver a refined, welcoming environment
Solutions
A consistent design language carries from the boutique to the back of house. Four guiding themes shaped the design: Industrial Chic, Community Hub, Supportive Sanctuary, and Foundation to Thrive. Together, they informed the material palette and how each space connects to the next, so the experience feels cohesive whether someone is trying on a suit, meeting with a career coach, or dropping off donations. Close collaboration among Dress for Success, the contractor, and the project team kept every decision tied to both the mission and the budget.
THE BOUTIQUE EXPERIENCE
A fitting room that feels like a fresh start
As the facility’s focal point, the boutique includes seven private fitting rooms where women try on professional attire. Volunteers serve as personal stylists, pulling pieces from the donation center to build each look. That one-on-one attention helps women feel confident and supported as they prepare for the next step in their careers.
BUILT BY WOMEN, FOR WOMEN
A project team that reflected the mission
Dress for Success made a point of hiring women-owned and women-led firms for the renovation. Strata Project Management Group, a women-owned firm, managed the project. Little led the design with an all-female team. Barringer Construction delivered the work with a predominantly woman-run crew, Interior Elements provided furniture through women-led teams, and She Built This City completed the kitchen with a project manager who’s a former Dress for Success client.
ROOM TO GROW
Flexible space for coaching, community and partnerships
The rest of the facility supports everything that happens after the outfit. Coaching rooms, conference space and private meeting areas host one-on-one career coaching, financial education and job-readiness workshops. A lounge at the entrance welcomes visitors and doubles as event space. A larger donation center keeps clothing, shoes and accessories organized, and a mobile pantry run with partner Nourish Up helps women meet everyday needs. Free parking and easy transit access make the building simple to reach.
Results
With more than twice the space it had in South End, Dress for Success Charlotte is putting that room to work with a new facility that supports stronger partnerships and wider access to professional attire. It also gives the organization a foundation to add staff, grow its programs, and extend its reach into neighboring counties. Designed around dignity and connection, the space gives more women across the region a place to take their next step.
