Local nonprofit needs donations to help reopen Sharp Dressed Man

By Kristen Adornato
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

A Baltimore nonprofit that provides low-income men with free business suits and other professional attire to help them find jobs is trying to raise $50,000 so that it can reopen its store, which burned down in a fire four weeks ago.

Sharp Dressed Man has already raised about $15,000, the organization said, and it is looking for a temporary location to reopen while additional funds are raised.

“We are asking our community to support us monetarily as we relocate and raise additional funds for program support through grants and foundational asks,” said Jenny Kessler Klump, the executive director of Sharp Dressed Man.

According to Klump, faulty electrical wiring around the exterior of the building where the store was located caused the fire on March 1. While no one was hurt and the inventory was saved, the store is unable to operate until repairs are made. Klump said the group does not know when the repairs will take place as they will be costly.

Klump said Sharp Dressed Man is currently looking at its options and must decide whether to move to a new building or stay at its current location at 235 Park Ave. in Baltimore.

“Either way, we will need to find a temporary location in the same vicinity as our current space, as it is very accessible to the men who need our services,” Klump said.

Sharp Dressed Man, which was founded in 2012 by the Baltimore Fashion Alliance and the Living Classrooms Foundation, opened its doors in December 2015 as a place to bring recycled suits to Baltimore men in need.

According to Sharp Dressed Man’s website, the organization collects used suits that are “gently worn” and then distributes them to men who are trying to get back on their feet after experiencing life altering challenges such as homelessness or time in prison.

To get a suit, men must signed up with the nonprofit’s partner agencies. The men must be actively working towards re-entering the workforce, and they must not be abusing drugs or alcohol. Those who have a history of addiction, the website says, must show that they are in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.

Men who meet the requirements can make an appointment with the store to be fitted for a suit free of charge. The store gets its inventory through monetary donations as well as donations of gently-used suits and other professional attire that is appropriate for a job interview.

Donations for Sharp Dressed Man can be made here

The idea for a store that provides suits to men in need came from Christopher Schafer, who owns a local clothing store on Aliceanna Street in Baltimore.

Schafer had a collection of used suits that had been given to him by clients. Having no place to store them, Schafer decided to open a boutique where men in need could come to get professional attire that would help them in job interviews.

“There was nothing else like [Sharp Dressed Man] that existed,” Schafer said.

In its short time being opened, over 600 men have been fitted with recycled suits, free of charge.

Sharp Dressed Man is a nonprofit organization that operates through donations and volunteers. The business is growing and volunteers are needed to aid in a variety of tasks that makes Sharp Dressed Man work.

As one of the only boutiques to supply men’s professional clothing around in the country, Klump said, Sharp Dressed Man’s goal is to inspire a similar model throughout the U.S. by “giving confidence and a hand up to a diverse array of men who are working hard to get back on their feet.”

Dress for Success is a national service for women, but nothing like Sharp Dressed Man exists nationally for men, Klump said.

Sharp Dressed Man has been a big presence in the community and also works with other nonprofits such as the B’More Club House, which assists adults with mental illnesses to lead productive lives.

The executive director of the B’More Club House, Jason Woody, said Sharp Dressed Man has provided suits to many of his group’s members for job interviews.

“The vast majority of our members live below the poverty line and thus would not normally have access to the type of high-quality clothing offered by Sharp Dressed Man,” Woody said. “They have been incredibly generous to us.”

Since the start of the campaign aimed to raise money for the store, the community has jumped to action to help raise the funds to keep Sharp Dressed Man running, Schafer said.

Schafer said he is grateful for all the help the community has done so far.

“It’s fantastic,” Schafer said. “It’s telling me were doing the right thing.”