Even Mission residents who have never set foot inside have probably seen the faded yet fierce signage adorning the storefront awning of the Foxy Lady Boutique, an iconic fixture of the Mission’s landscape.
Foxy Lady founder and owner Janine Dominski has been offering city residents an array of formal and eccentric apparel for over 35 years.
“I opened the store because I love this type of stuff,” she said. “I figured there was a need for it, for the people that really like this type of stuff, and I wanted to give them what they wanted.”
The store carries a variety of products, from formal gowns and shoes to costumes, wigs, specialty make up and lingerie—in both regular and plus sizes.
Doris, an employee who has worked at the store for over 10 years and declined to provide her last name, said larger size shoes are a hot item.
“Shoes in size 12 to 16 sell a lot because they are harder to find,” she said. “We also sell a lot of costumes because we are one of the only stores that sells costumes all year long.”
Like many parts of the city, the Mission has seen hundreds of business come and go in the blink of an eye, but Foxy Lady continues to keep its doors open despite the economic down turn.
Dominski says that times have changed, and that everyone has been affected by the economic downturn, but that San Francisco is still the best place for her store because there’s always something going on.
“We cater to everybody, that’s why I have such a variety of different things,” she said. “Dancers, drag queens, ballerinas … it depends on the people that are having functions at that time. We get a lot of people for Bay To Breakers that come in … we get a lot of people for the Gay [SF Pride] Parade; we get a lot of people for coronations, the women that are going to run for coronation queens and things like that.”
Doris said that the Foxy Lady Boutique serves a wide array of people because no one is judged there; they are all offered friendly, cordial service.
The boutique’s local customer base spans generations.
“I’ve been here for so long that I’ve watched people … I’ve helped their mothers and their grandmothers and now their teenage daughter,” she said. “Naturally they all like different types of things—up to date stuff.”
Dominski said that the store is meant to be a warm and welcoming place that allows employees to gives customers individual attention and offer recommendations of what styles work better for them. The store also has a website, which can attract clients from outside the area, allowing it to compete with big-name outlets.
Foxy Lady fashions have been featured on MTV and Dominski has assisted with costumes for Carnaval, theater productions like RENT and locally filmed television series.
Originally part of a small chain with sister stores in Las Vegas, Hawaii and San Francisco’s North Beach, the Mission location is the only remaining store.
But like so many long-standing establishments in the Mission, the Foxy Lady’s future is uncertain.
Dominski recently had knee surgery and, after decades of building her business and faithfully serving her customers, she is now looking to sell the store.
“I’ve been very sick, so I’m looking for someone who will buy the business and continue to run it,” she said.