Meet Catrina Kagel of The Ladies Room in Lombard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catrina Kagel.

Catrina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a young girl I’ve always loved fashion. At the age of 10 not only was I styling and drawing fashions, I created and produced my own fashion shows (for my family). I took every fashion classes there was in both Jr High and High School. I received a certificate in Fashion Design and Merchandising at The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.

I started my career in retail at the age of 17 with J Riggins as one of the first youngest female sales rep o the floor. I worked my way up to the ranks and managed the #1 volume store in the Chicagoland area. I worked for J Riggins for 6 years then moved on to manage places like Aeropostale, American Eagle, and The Knot Shop all within a 14 year span.

Then I decided I needed a break from retail and became a Regional Trainer for Inverness – a Sensitive Metals Company. I taught women how to Pierce Ears! Yes!!! Pierce Ears and only Ears. I traveled all over the Midwest and loved seeing all the many places. I did that for about 2 years until I decided that traveling wasn’t for me.

So, when I left Inverness I was hired as a Pre-flight Person at Wallace Press/R R Donnelley in the printing industry. Yeah, big change from retail, I know. I knew nothing about the print industry however being a quick learner and open to learning a new trade, it was an easy transition. I enjoyed it so much that, I returned back to the College of DuPage to get my Certificate in Graphics Design. By doing that, it help me excel through the ranks of the Printing Industry – Pre-flight, Desktop Operator, Customer Service, Account Manager, to Sales Rep. I’ve had the honors of working for 2 large printing companies – R R Donnelley and Consolidated Graphics. Working in the print world gave me a better understanding of print and marketing.

Towards the end of my print careers, as a Sales Rep, I was always out and about networking which opened the doors for me to volunteer more for various organizations with in multiple communities. I loved it and wanted to do more.

After 30 years in Corporate America, in 2009 I decided it was time that I worked for myself. So, I combined my fashion and print knowledge then started my own business. The Ladies Room Consignment Boutique. Our boutique is so non-traditional from other boutiques. We focus on consigning and selling quality and timeless merchandise. We believe fashion is about the individual. You can purchase our product online www.thelroom.com or at our store front, in Lombard, IL.

The Ladies Room also focuses on enriching women’s lives and helping them feel good about themselves. We host a variety of events annually to help women build self-confidence and self esteem. We have events such as: Dressing for your Age, Color Me Beautiful – what colors look best on you, Refresh where you learn to set attainable life goals, there is so much more……

In 2011, I started our TLR Gives Back Foundation without a clear path and or direction, all I knew is that I wanted to give back. It took the passing of my late Grandmother Mrs Cleora Thomas Harris who suffered from both Dementia /Alzheimer for me to come to realize that MUSIC is what my foundation will be about. Even though she had suffered from that horrible disease and couldn’t remember who you were….she could play any song without skipping a note. There was nothing like hearing her play the piano/organ. Brightens the entire room. Since then…my sole mission has been to help keep Music alive in our schools and hearts.

In 2016, we’ve created TLR Contour Etiquette Classes for young ladies that are ages 8 – 21. in progress now – working on curriculum. Classes will start this Fall. Our goal is to teach young women the basic tools they need in life to build self-confidence and survive in today’s society. We will also help young ladies that want to get into the modeling and or fashion industry.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hahahhaha Nothing in life comes easy that’s worth having. The struggle has always been real however I kept my faith and believed in myself and my business. If you want me to be honest, most of my struggles come from being black business women in a mostly white community. I grew up in Villa Park, IL. went to York Center, Jackson Jr High and Willowbrook High School and have never experienced as much hatred as I do today. The racism that I have encountered since opening my business in 2009 has been ridiculous. You try to ignore it and stay focus, some days are tough however, you get through them.

Another struggle has been Marketing! – you always have to be on, always have to create new and innovating tools to keep your customers coming back and new folks in the door.

Another struggle has been more personal, we went from a two household income to a single household income. Something, that I gave little to no thought to at all while putting my business plan together. We had to cut back on our spending and looked at our needs verses wants. You would be amazed how much money you can waste on wants. We cut back on things like every weekend get away trip to maybe once a month, we use to eat out a lot, now we cook at home and me shopping…..well, I still shop just at The Ladies Room. Just those few things alone has saved us tons as to where we’ve been able to make things work. Now, we just have to keep making it work and make a little money at it.

The Ladies Room – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?

We are a women’s consignment boutique that dresses women from ages 18 and older. We consign and sell modest brand names from casual to evening attire. We specialize in Mother of the Bride/Groom gowns, Black tie affair gowns, Prom and Pageant gowns and Homecoming dresses. The Ladies Room also sells designer shoes and purses and all accessories to compliment any look. Consignment days are Tuesday – Friday via appointment. Our sizes ranges from 0 – 26. We take in seasonal merchandise only.

TLROnline Not only can you find us on Main St in Lombard, you can also find us online. We sell most of our higher end designers and vintage piece online so we can reach out to a broader audience. Yes, if yu see something online, you can pick up from the store.

We host birthday and glam day parties for ages 8 and older. It comes with an etiquette coach, hair, nails, make-up, an unlimited wardrobe to play in and a fashion show at the end. Lot of pictures taken.

We have the TLR Gives Back Foundation which focuses on keeping music alive in schools and to help raise awareness to how Dementia and Music is related. We host annual Fundraisers to donate money to various schools music departments. Our goal is to be able to offer scholarships to students who want to study music.

TLRContour a Division of The Ladies Room. We host etiquette classes for young ladies 8 – 21. We teach them about self-confidence and how to be a model citizen in today’s society. We also help young ladies that want to get into the modeling industry build portfolios and provide tips about the industry.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Starting my business period is my proudest moment, however every day is a proud moment for me. I love being able to give back to my community and owning my own business.

Pricing:

• Everyday casual attire can range from $3.99 on up
• Prom and Pageant Gowns can range from $39.99 – $399.99
• Mother of Bride Groom Gowns range from $29.99 – $209.99
• Dresses for all and any occasion from $12.99 and up
• Shoes, Purses, Jewelry from $4.99 and up
• Pre-teen – Teen etiquette classes start at $49.99 depending on what you are looking to accomplish
• Kids Glam Day parties start at $19.99 per person (3 hours)
• Adult Glam Day parties start at $24.99 per person (3 hours)

Contact Info:

• Address: 410 S. Main St. Lombard, IL 60148
• Website: www.thelroom.com
• Phone: 630.613.9593
• Email: ck@thelroom.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/tlr_consignment_boutique
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tlrresale
• Other: http://www.marykay.com/ckagel1

Image Credit:
Photographs done by: Emmy Awards winning photographer Amy Aiello, Amy Aiello Photography
Hair and Make-up: Mariefel Westa, Owner of Mitchell Christopher Salon in Wheaton
Wardrobe: The Ladies Room Consignment Boutique in Lombard

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.