Press Releases

RUNG IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ITS FIRST EXHIBITION OF LOCALLY-MADE WEARABLE ART

Exhibition of jewelry by St. Louis-based artist Dawn Johnson launches Rung’s Artist Program.

Rung’s Artist Program is designed to further the organization’s mission of women helping women in their careers.

January 26, 2011 (St. Louis, Missouri) Rung, St. Louis’ newest non-profit resale boutique, is proud to announce that jewelry artist Dawn Johnson, designer and CEO of Anointed Jewelry, will begin exhibiting her creations in the store on February 5, 2011.

In September 2010, Rung released a call for area female artists interested in exhibiting work that supports the boutique’s mission of outfitting women in affordable and beautiful professional attire. The boutique is especially interested in showcasing wearable art, original, handcrafted accessories and works inspired by fashion history, trends and the issues that women face in their careers.

Rung chose Dawn to be their first female artist in the store because her desire to empower women to be strong and confident combined with her drive to make jewelry design a career fit perfectly with the organization’s mission. “Dawn presented us with a very professional and passionate proposal that obviously took Rung and its role in the community into careful consideration,” says Rung owner Ali Kindle. “We especially loved that the collection Dawn proposed to show was inspired by a blog written by one of our employees for our website (‘Birds of a Feather Flocking the Fashion World Together’ by Will Bibbs).” Dawn describes the collection she will be featuring at Rung as “beautiful, natural, wild, one-of-a-kind and affordable.”

Since Rung opened its doors in Rock Hill, MO on April 17, 2010, inventory and interest has grown exponentially. The boutique is frequented by regular clientele and donors as well as new visitors interested in learning more, and Rung’s calendar steadily fills up with community events, trunk shows and informative presentations.

“Now that the store is no longer just an idea, I can finally invite more people to share in the vitality and beauty that I see every day,” founder and president Ali Kindle says. “We want to get people as excited about our store as we are, and we’re hoping that this exhibition and the open call for local women artists will further engage current customers and attract new supporters of our mission.”

The artist program has always been a part of Kindle’s original vision. “They are just two more great ways Rung can help women in the area further their careers,” Kindle says. “With Rung, the women of St. Louis now have one more place to come together in support of each other.”

About Rung

Rung was founded by Ali Kindle as a place for women to shop for new or gently-used, affordable business attire in a beautiful and inviting setting. Rung gratefully accepts donations of women’s attire and accessories, as well as in-kind items and cash gifts to support its mission and the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

Rung’s mission is to bolster the confidence of professional women in the business world by offering professional attire at affordable prices in a boutique atmosphere that provides a fun and uplifting experience. With 100% of the profits going to support the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Rung brings professional fashion full circle. From your closet to our community, donations as well as purchases make a difference for women at all levels of the career ladder.

About Dawn Johnson, jewelry designer

Dawn Johnson has displayed her jewelry at AWEAR in the St. Louis Mills Mall, participated in trunk shows and designed exclusive, custom pieces for a variety of clients, including fashion designers and make-up artists. Dawn is a graduate of the Florissant Valley Community College commercial art/advertising design program, and she is currently the expressive arts coordinator at Marygrove Children’s Home in Florissant. Inspired by her faith, Dawn creates jewelry intended to empower women to be strong and confident. Her jewelry styles are particular, trendy and everything in between. Each piece is as special as the woman who wears it. No two are, or will ever be, identical; only beautiful, unique and personal.

Photos of select jewelry pieces are available for online review here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoprung/sets/72157625793479007/.

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Rung Outfits 16 Residents of Area Domestic Violence Shelter in Stylish & Professional Attire

In honor of Domestic Violence Month, Rung, St. Louis’ newest, non-profit resale boutique, hosted a private shopping event for Lydia’s House residents and lived out its mission to bolster the confidence of women by offering professional attire in a boutique atmosphere that provides a fun and uplifting experience.

October 6, 2010 (St. Louis, Missouri) — On the afternoon of October 3^rd, 2010, Rung opened its doors to 16 Lydia’s House residents for a private shopping experience in its Rock Hill boutique. Rung, which specializes in women’s business attire, provided lunch, a $150 gift certificate for the purchase of 2 professional outfits to each resident in attendance and a personal shopper experience.

Since the idea for Rung came to Founder and President Ali Kindle, she has dreamed of an opportunity to honor women, especially survivors of domestic violence, in this way. Kindle collected the first 3,000 pieces needed to open the store from friends and family. Within the first week of opening, donations began pouring in. In just 6 months, Rung reached the point where it could donate clothing to women like Lydia’s House residents who may not have the means or opportunity to treat themselves to a day of shopping.

But, the benefits did not stop there.

The shoppers were outfitted for their current occupations in stylish, seasonal attire that was also appropriate for their size and personal taste. The personal shopper experience was provided by Rung professionals and volunteers to carry the residents on to the career they want, not just the occupation they currently have, a principle passed down to Ali Kindle by her grandfather, Enterprise Holdings founder Jack Taylor.

“Whether a woman is seeking a new position or on the path to a promotion, the right outfit can provide exactly the confidence she needs to make the right impression,” says Kindle. “It’s our job at Rung every day to help shoppers dress for the career they want. We were honored to provide this day of shopping to the women of Lydia’s House, and we hope our sales and donations will continue to grow so we can host more uplifting events for the women in our community.”

As an added bonus, Rung invited Madeline Long-Gill, board chair of Every Step Counts, to complete attendees’ professional ensembles with shoes, which Rung does not carry. Long-Gill collects women’s shoes to support Every Step Counts, a non-profit organization created to provide a link between organizations that provide programs and services for the domestic and sexual assault community and victims of violent acts that they serve. Long-Gill was more than happy to oblige, “I just love to see what shoes do to people,” she remarked at the event. As the array of great-looking shoes were laid out on the floor, “the atmosphere instantly transformed from very excited to just-plain giddy,” says Kindle.

Founded in 1994, Lydia’s House is a place of healing and a voice of hope for abused women and their children that provides critical support services and transitional housing to women and children that have experienced domestic violence.

“Lydia’s House is thankful to Rung for providing the special shopping day for our residents,” said Ellen Reed, Lydia’s House Executive Director. “Many women living at Lydia’s House were force to flee violent homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. It is my hope that beautiful new outfits that Rung provided our residents will help to empower these strong survivors to move up the career ladder and on to safer, more independent lives.”

“The stories of Lydia’s House’s former residents are among the most inspirational I’ve ever heard,” says Kindle. “We wanted to play as big a role in empowering women to move beyond this trial in their lives, and in ending domestic violence in our community, as we could. This is why we chose to invite residents of Lydia’s House to come to the store on this very special day in October.”

Rung hosts public and private events in its store on a regular basis. The boutique space was designed to accommodate up to 80 people for presentations, networking events, workshops and other community programs related to its mission. Donations of on-trend, in-season, well-cared-for women’s attire and accessories, as well as cash to support programs, are gratefully accepted during normal store hours, Tue-Fri, 10a-6p and Sat, 10a-5p.

To learn more about Rung, please visit www.shoprung.org or call the store at 314-918-0575.

About Rung

Rung was founded by Ali Kindle as a place for women to shop for new or gently-used, affordable business attire in a beautiful and inviting setting. Rung gratefully accepts donations of women’s attire and accessories, as well as in-kind items and cash gifts to support its mission and the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

Rung’s mission is to bolster the confidence of professional women in the business world by offering professional attire at affordable prices in a boutique atmosphere that provides a fun and uplifting experience. With 100% of the profits going to support the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Rung brings professional fashion full circle. From your closet to our community, donations as well as purchases make a difference for women at all levels of the career ladder. Bring a bag, or leave with one. At Rung, the path to success is a two-way street.

About Lydia’s House

In partnership with its donors and volunteers, Lydia’s House works in faith to end domestic violence by continuing to provide a place of healing and a voice of hope for abused women and their children. Since its incorporation in 1995, Lydia’s House has provided transitional housing, access to community resources and comprehensive, goal-oriented support services for more than 450 abused women and their children. Lydia’s House currently serves 35 women and up to 70 children. It is Missouri’s largest provider of confidentially located, furnished apartments for abused women and their children and is one of the largest programs of its type in the United States. For more information, visit www.lydiashouse.org.

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Rung Unveils a Dynamic, New Website

New website announces a call for women artists and a call for volunteers

New and up-to-date content represents all that Rung offers the St. Louis community

September 14, 2010 (St. Louis, Missouri) — Rung, St. Louis’ newest non-profit resale boutique, is proud to announce the launch of its revamped website at www.shoprung.org. Designed to more fully represent all that the organization offers, the new website is more robust, with lots of colorful store photos, current news and information on how to “Get Involved.”

Visiting the new website is like visiting the store. All are welcomed and engaged, by:

• friendly and knowledgeable staff, whose bios and blog posts can be read online
• an open, inviting and well-organized space for easy navigation and quick answers to visitors’ questions; and
• images of stylish, beautifully-presented apparel and accessories for the fashion-forward, cost-conscious shopper.

Since Rung opened its doors in Rock Hill, MO on April 17, 2010, inventory and interest has grown. The boutique is frequented by regular clientele and donors as well as new visitors interested in learning more. Rung’s calendar steadily fills up with community events, creative promotions, trunk shows and informative presentations.

“Now that the store is no longer just an idea, I can finally show people its vitality and beauty as I see it every day,” says founder and president Ali Kindle. “We want to get people as excited about our store as we are, and we’re hoping that the new website will further engage current customers and attract new supporters of our mission. There is always something going on at Rung and the women of St. Louis need to be in-the-know.”

The new website is a user-friendly way to learn more about Rung, including its location and hours, mission and origins, and about the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, the organization that receives 100% of Rung’s profits.

Visitors can also easily connect to Rung’s Facebook and Twitter pages and find brand-new information about how to volunteer, how to donate and how local female artists can submit proposals to display and sell their artwork in the store. The volunteer and artist programs have always been a part of Kindle’s original vision. “They are just two more great ways Rung can help women in the St. Louis area further their careers,” Kindle says. “With Rung, the women of St. Louis now have one more place to come together in support of each other.”

About Rung

Rung was founded by Ali Kindle as a place for women to shop for new or gently-used, affordable business attire in a beautiful and inviting setting. Rung gratefully accepts donations of women’s attire and accessories, as well as in-kind items and cash gifts to support its mission and the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

Rung’s mission is to bolster the confidence of professional women in the business world by offering professional attire at affordable prices in a boutique atmosphere that provides a fun and uplifting experience. With 100% of the profits going to support the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Rung brings professional fashion full circle. From your closet to our community, donations as well as purchases make a difference for women at all levels of the career ladder. Bring a bag, or leave with one. At Rung, the path to success is a two-way street.

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Rung Boutique Outfits the Corporate Climb of St. Louis Women

Resale boutique opens today in Rock Hill

Gives back to women at all levels of the career ladder

April 17, 2010 (St. Louis, Missouri) – Facing a job interview or that important client meeting can be stressful enough without the age-old worry of what to wear.  But thanks to a new twist on resale corporate fashion, St. Louis women can now refresh their professional wardrobes while helping to empower women in the community.

Opening today in Rock Hill’s Colonial Square Shopping Center at 9739 Manchester Road, Rung is a not-for-profit resale boutique designed to enhance and update the wardrobes of career women in the corporate environment. Owned and operated by Alison Kindle, RUNG offers on-trend, in-season professional and business casual attire for women looking to outfit their corporate climb.

As part of Rung’s mission of women helping women, 100 percent of the store’s net profits will be donated to the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis in support of local women’s charities.

“During this economically trying time, many women are going back to work or entering the workforce for the first time and they want to look their best,” says Kindle. “At Rung, our customers will find the professional attire they need at affordable prices in a boutique atmosphere that provides a fun and uplifting experience.”

Rung will also promote the artistry of local women by displaying and selling jewelry, clothing and art designed and produced by female St. Louis artists.

Kindle, who is the granddaughter of St. Louis entrepreneur and Enterprise Holdings founder Jack Taylor, says she would like the store to represent a cycle of support for women’s causes.

“Whether making a donation or making a purchase, our customers can enjoy a unique, uplifting shopping experience knowing they’re making a difference for women at all levels of the career ladder,” says Kindle.

About RUNG

With 100 percent of the profits going to support the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Rung brings professional fashion full circle. From your closet to our community, your donations as well as your purchases will make a difference for women at all levels of the career ladder. Bring a bag, or leave with one. At Rung, the path to success is a two-way street.