Exploring Life & Business with Karra Ussery of Hazel+Grace Rentals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karra Ussery.

Hi Karra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was pregnant with my second baby and needed a dress for my gender reveal photos. I had the worst time finding something that was affordable and that I could try on. I ended up borrowing a dress from my friend Kimmi. When it came time for my maternity photos at the end of my pregnancy, I found myself in the same predicament. After complaining about Kimmi’s struggle, we decided to do something about it and started Hazel+Grace Rentals. After researching and educating ourselves about care for formal wear and how to start a business, we finally took the next step: reach out to family and friends for gowns to add to our inventory. To our surprise, we had 50 dresses to start our company on November 1, 2021. People started hearing about us and then offering to give us dresses or exchange dresses for rental credit. Next thing you know, we’re 9 months into our business with over 400 gowns, jumpsuits, and maternity photo attire. We work on an appointment-only basis and also offer client racks to photographers for their mini-session days. Kimmi and I operate Hazel+Grace around our full-time work schedules. We’re looking to grow into a permanent location next year and to increase our availability.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
So far, it’s been semi-smooth. We’re still working out the kinks by trialing different operating systems. Local rental isn’t a “thing” for the most part, so there is no system that can manage our rental inventory, appointments, contracts, and bookkeeping in one place. Most platforms are made for online rental or to rent something that doesn’t need to be tried on. We’re quick learners, and we hope to have a website soon where clients can book online appointments.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a local dress rental company that caters to the Sandhills Region and Raleigh area. Our business model allows clients to try on a formal gown in person before agreeing to rent it. We have affordable rental rates since we keep all our house cleaning in-house. Our size range is from 00-24 in women’s attire and has some princess dresses for small-sized 6 months to 6 in girls.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I was playing dress-up! I’ve always loved to dress up in big beautiful gowns, and now I get to make others shine in gorgeous ball gowns and maternity gowns.

Pricing:

• Our average pricing ranges $20-50 for a 3 day rental.
• We have a few high end gowns that we rent at higher rates.
• We also have 2 wedding gowns for rent, but we do recommend Beautiful, and Borrowed Bridal in Apex for Wedding Dress rentals

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/hazelgracerentals
• Facebook: Facebook.com/hazelgracerentals
• Other: Text/Call 910-420-4090

Image Credits
Field of Light Photography