The Sample Rack

I had an amazing experience at the Sample Rack with Carlene and Jim. I had tried on about 50 dresses before I got to the Sample Rack and Carlene worked wonders in finding me the right dress. She put 3 dresses on me and I loved them all. She was the one person who finally got what I wanted. I thought there was a lot of quality in the dresses and the prices were amazing, nothing over $1000. Carlene was also very accommodating rescheduling another appointment so my mom could come with me. I will recommend the Sample Rack to all of my friends. I wish I hadn't of wasted time at any of the places in and around Philly.

This is a sample dress store, so the selection is going to vary depending on when you go. That being said, I had a great experience. The first dress I saw when I walked in was the one I bought! They do not overbook appointments so you get personalized service. They are patient and understanding...if you want to go back and forth between two dresses (like I did), they will work with you. Plus, the prices are great!

I bought my wedding dress here - I fell in love with my dress, even though it was not at all what I pictured wearing, but somehow it just seemed to work. Great prices & friendly staff!

After calling and scheduling an appointment, my Mom and I went to Carolyn at The Sample Rack in November 2010 to look for a wedding dress. I didn’t have too many “must haves” in a dress but I did have a few (neckline, dress shape). Carolyn had a pretty good selection of dresses in many different styles and shapes. I tried on some dresses that she recommended but then I asked if I could try one on that was displayed in the front window. The rest is history! We paid for the dress right then and there and took it out the door.While I would absolutely recommend Carolyn and The Sample Rack, I would caution brides-to-be to go in with an open mind. It’s a sample shop, so she only has what’s there. If you are a smaller size you may have better luck because you can try on larger dresses and have them taken in. The prices are very good (most expensive was $800) and my dress did not even need to be cleaned. Many of the dresses are name brand.Carolyn was not pushy at all. She recommended a great seamstress for alterations and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.

I was drawn to the sample rack\'s designer dresses for cheaper prices. Carolyn is a bit pushy and told me an inflated retail price of the dress I purchased. I was shocked when I looked up the designer a few days later and her quote was at least $1,000 higher than the real price. I ended up with an amazing dress that after substantial alterations was perfect. It was a decent deal getting the sample, but not nearly the \"steal\" that they want you to believe it is. Educate yourself on typical designers they carry and actual retail prices before you go.

The Sample Rack is truly a gem for brides on a budget! The shop is small and welcoming. There are a variety of beautiful dresses that are top quality, but are samples, so are sold at a reduced price. The staff is helpful, patient, and knowledgable. Great shopping experience!

I like most soon to be brides watched say yes to the dress and went to Kleinfeld's website and stumbled upon a dress that screamed my name with every stitch of fabric. The dress was so perfect for me that the model started to resemble me after looking for a minute or so (and not just to me to other people too) LOL. So i called to inquire about that dress specifically and the woman was so nice on the phone and eager to set me up and appointment and when i asked for the pirce of the dress she said $8,000!!!! I hung up LOL not literally but my budget for my wedding was close to $8,000 and I was devastated because now there would be no way to find a dress that was so me figured I mine as well go to David's bridal (GASP) and shop the sale rack because now who cares. I said all of that to say that the dress I brought from the Sample Rack was more me than any other because it fit my style and my budget. Even if you dont buy anything it is definately worth a look. I personally seen the dress as soon as I walked in and it was the first one I tried on and right away I was in love. I did not have to alter it or make any adjustments it was made for me. Godd Luck Brides.

I made an appointment here that happened to be during the time of one of the major blizzards that hit the Philadelphia area in winter 2010. It is always hard to separate weather hype from reality, but days before people were talking about the possible severity of the storm. Other dress vendors I had appointments with that weekend called and rescheduled times or otherwise communicated with me that they would check with me on a "day-of" basis once we truly knew what the weather and road conditions would be like. Carolyn Verdi, the proprietor at the Sample Rack, called me a couple of days before during the anticipation period and asked if I lived within Philadelphia's Center City area. When I said I did not and lived in the suburbs she said she wanted to know since brides in the city still planned on coming in to the store and she wanted to know whether she could give away my appointment slot to another bride. I said that I would have to see how bad the roads were and in the meantime I would keep my appointment and call her to reschedule if the conditions were poor. I asked whether or not she would still be open and she assured me that yes, of course she would be open since she lived just down the street.On the day of the storm was quite bad, but the roads were fine if taken at a slow speed. I tried to call in to the store several times before I left for my appointment, but never got a response. Based on my experience in the planning stages, Carolyn had said that she was the only person in the shop and unable to answer the phone since she was assisting people in the shop. So I made the slow journey to the store and when I got there it was closed. I tried calling repeatedly as well as going to the address listed for her planning service and got nothing. I stood outside in the snow for about an hour before leaving. When Carolyn got back to me the next day she was really very unapologetic and rude about explaining why she stood me up for my appointment. She said she assumed I would not make it and so she left mid-day. When I said that we had recently agreed that I would call on the day-of to talk about appointments her response was that she asumed I would call in the morning. Considering I had a 5 P.M. appointment and in the morning when the snow was still falling, I considered that a poor excuse. At the very least I believe she could have called me that morning to speak with me before leaving the shop and being out of communication.Based on this experience, I would not reccommend doing business with her and shudder to think about what she would do to brides in need as a part of her wedding planning company! Clearly this blizzard was an unusual situation, but I visited several other stores that same weekend and had no similar problems as I did with this store. Each of the other stores were very proactive in communicating with me about their store hours and the road conditions in their area; I had no problems either keeping my original appointment time or rescheduling another time.I know this review will likely be met with a rebuttal, but I believe it is important for brides to know about my poor experience with Carolyn and hope that people see my response to this incident the way I do!

I was on a tight timeline and didn't have much time to find a wedding dress. After only trying on about 4 gowns, Caroline found my gown! I still had time remaining on my parking meter when I got back to my car. Caroline even suggested a great seamstress to do my alterations.

What a find! They have since moved from their hidden location above the La Forna restaurant on South St. but when I went there i felt like i was on an adventure.... I met Caroline down stairs and she brought me and my mom up to her 3rd floor room of pouf. There had to be over 200 dresses in her "office" all prettier than the next. The samples she has constantly change and all priced under $800. i tried on about five with some definite contenders. All were in great condition with now telling signs that they were store of runway samples. I would recommend this place to anyone on a budget looking for a great dress.

This was the first place I went to look for a dress, and unfortunately did not find anything. The prices were great, but unfortunately, there was NOTHING that I would ever wear! The sales woman was very pushy and seemed offended that I did not find MY dress there! A wedding dress is a very personal thing, and just because the designers were famous and the prices were good, does not mean that I should have bought something there. The inventory changes a lot and there may be something great for someone else, so I encourage everyone to take a look, but I really did not appreciate being pressured to buy, especially for such an important and personal purchase.

Carolyne was pretty pushy and rude.... Kept on saying the dress wouldn't be there the next day... Seemed annoyed when showing me dresses.. I woudn't reccomend this place to my friends.. It's a shame..Nice selection of dresses but the service is just plain crappy.

Carolyn is very very pushy and did not create a good experience for me. I felt pressured into buying the dress which I didn't like at all. She kept saying the dress would not be there the next day but it was there for a WEEK until I decided to buy it. I bought my dress at the Sample Rack when it was located on South Street. I didn't want to spend a lot and I wanted something simple and modern. I didn't even bother trying on more than 2 dresses because they were all very early 90s styles.I ended up hating the way my dress photographed probably because I was so concerned with getting a deal that I failed to remember that the wedding dress is in EVERY SINGLE PHOTO. Point is- you MUST love your dress to the point that you want to sleep in it. Looking back I would have bought the $7,000 Priscilla of Boston dressed that I wanted in the first place.

I purchased my wedding gown from the Sample Rack just over a year ago (back when it was still above La Fourno) and had a wonderful experience. Carolyn was very helpful in selecting my gown - she was more of a matchmaker, really. It was a dress I never would have selected myself to even try on but she seemed to know it would be "the one." I did select some duds myself to try on at first and never did I feel pressured to buy something I did not love. She did make suggestions on alterations that could make a particular dress more the style I was looking for. Some people may interpret as pushy but I appreciated that creative approach. The seamstress she recommended was wonderful as well. Aside from alterations and a stunning bustle, she made me a custom length veil with Swarovski crystals that was just beautiful. All in all I had an amazing dress that made an already beautiful day feel perfectly magical.

I went to the Sample Rack after a few shops I've been to for my wedding dress search and was more than happy with the service/selection. Fortunately, I found a gown with beautiful beading at the top, not to mention the train and bustle are gorgeous! It's perfect for me (and my body shape). I was so happy and relieved to finally find a gown that suited everything I was looking for, and it's been a tough search since I'm only 5 ft. tall - gowns I loved online were completely different looking ON me. Carolyn was truly the best as she was very helpful in my dress search and told me which dresses looked great, and others that were just so-so. My best friend couldn't agree with her more when she said this dress was perfect for me! I would definitely recommend the Sample Rack and Carolyn to friends and other brides who are looking for beautiful dresses at prices you can't beat. I am very grateful to have found my gown here!

I bough a beautiful Amsale dress that I loved wearing on my wedding day. I did make significant alterations to the dress, but the price can't be beat. In general, the place seems fairly hit-or-miss and if you're looking for the newest runway style, it probably won't be there. But, if you can find a dress, the value is amazing and one of the owners, Carolyn Verdi, was very flexible.

I ended up at The Sample Rack after I conceded that my original dress was going to be too hot for an outdoor wedding. They fit me in the day I called and I ended up with a new dress that worked perfectly. They also recommended a great dressmaker for the alterations. My fiance, who helped me pick out both dresses (taboo, I know) actually commented that the second dress was the better choice. I'm so happy that I found this shop and bought my dress there. It was a great experience.

I also had a great experience. I bought a dress at La Fourno the weekend after I got engaged and it was the best decision I could have made. The price was great I and truly love the dress. The selection is varied and the atmosphere is low pressure and not stuffy at all which was exactly what I needed. Definitely worth a try for every bride.

Low pressure and a good selection. I got my dress for less than a third of what I would have paid retail.

I got a beautiful dress for a lot cheaper than in a boutique.