Dresses for rent: Hawke’s Bay mother builds a business from her wardrobe to stay home with her baby

Havelock North mum Nina Woodham started a dress rental business from her own wardrobe to stay home with her daughter. Photo / Rafaella Melo

For many mothers, the early months with a baby come with a difficult balance: the desire to stay home longer, and the reality of returning to work.

For Havelock North mum Nina Woodham, the solution was hanging right in her wardrobe.

Woodham, who has a 15-month-old daughter, Ruby, wanted to find a way to stay home for longer without giving up an income altogether.

Running the business from home allows Woodham to balance work and time with her 15-month-old daughter, Ruby. Photo / Rafaella Melo

She had been working as a teacher aide before going on maternity leave and started thinking about options while she was pregnant.

“I had a few dresses in my wardrobe, and my friends would often borrow them for events,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

Woodham said she realised Hawke’s Bay was missing something like it, and decided to fill the gap.

Starting with her own collection of about 10 dresses, she invested in more stock, built a website with help from a friend, and launched Dress NZ about a year ago.

“Then I made a bit of money and could invest in some more dresses,” she said.

The first to go out was a yellow satin dress for a Havelock North client.

“It was exciting ... I was like ‘that’s happening’.”

Woodham holds the first piece she hired out, a yellow satin dress for a Havelock North client. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Now, her collection has grown to about 60 dresses, all available for hire through her website.

Customers across New Zealand can rent a dress for a flat rate of $60, and have it delivered.

Woodham said most orders come from Hawke’s Bay and the wider North Island, with a flow of rentals each week for events such as weddings, 21sts and race days.

“At the moment it’s roughly six dresses a week,” she said.

“I’m starting to get more traction now so I’m hoping by next summer I’ll be nice and busy.”

The dresses range in value from about $250 to $900, and while she admits having a few favourites, none are off-limits.

Woodham has set up a space in a spare room at her home to display the dresses, where customers can come in and try them on.

Woodham's collection grew from 10 to 60 dresses, rented for $60 each across the country. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Running the business from home has allowed Woodham to shape her days around Ruby.

Mornings are spent together, while naps and evenings are used to create social media content, wash, steam and package dresses for delivery.

“Working my own hours and being at home with Ruby. That was the dream,” she said.

Woodham hopes to grow the business further, expanding her range and reaching more customers across the country.

For now, she says the most rewarding part has been creating a way to stay present in her daughter’s early years while building something of her own.

As for her close friends, they still get to borrow dresses, and have never had a better wardrobe to choose from.