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When Monique Gootkin's daughter was preparing to make her Bat Mitzvah, Gootkin found that there was a lack of stores featuring party dresses for young girls.
"I was constantly driving all over Westchester, Manhattan and Long Island looking for a Bat Mitzvah dress," Gootkin said. "There weren't any stores that specialized in clothing for special occasions."
After spending 20 years working in the wholesale department of New York's garment center, Gootkin realized she could address the problem herself, along with the help of her friend and coworker at the time, Betty Dayan.
In April 2002, they solved their problem when they opened All Dressed Up, a boutique that carries party attire for girls, pre-teens and juniors at Rye Ridge Plaza in Rye Brook.
"We are a niche store - we carry dresses and suits for special occasions with a focus on Bat Mitzvahs," Gootkin said. "We also carry dresses for Communions, sweet 16s and proms, but the average age of our shoppers is 12 to 13 years old."
Young girls have plenty of options in All Dressed Up,...