We have been in the business of clothing missionaries for 62 years as of this year. One could say we have experience in knowing what Elders need and want when they prepare for their missions. So when the First Presidency announced last October that the church was changing the minimum age of missionary service to 18 for Elders, we knew we had that song down pat. All we had to do was bulk up our stock levels and prepare for the wave of new young missionaries to come in so we could help them get ready for their missions.
We did just that and we have seen hundreds of new missionaries come through our store in that short time frame. And for the most part we were effectively able to outfit nearly every young man that came through our shop. It has been wonderful to see so many young men willing to serve wherever the Lord calls them.
But when the Presidency announced the age change to 18 for Elders they also let loose with an even bigger announcement. Sisters. Sisters were allowed to leave at 19 instead of 21. We knew this change would be big, but we really didn't know how big until recent reports said that for the first time in church history, the number of Sister missionaries in the Missionary Training Center in Provo were outnumbering the number of Elders. That's huge.
At first we were determined to beef up our inventory for the Elders but we figured that surely the Sisters were fine with the offerings at the hundreds of stores around the Phoenix area. We were quickly proven wrong. Over the weeks following the announcement, time and time again we have received phone calls, emails, text messages as well as sisters coming into the store, asking us if and when we were going to start carrying lines for Sisters.
Evidently it's is nearly impossible to find attractive skirts that are the right length and to find tops that are modest but stylish. Our Sisters were telling us they were unable to find coats that were truly made for cold, wet weather. They told us that truly comfortable and durable walking shoes were virtually nonexistant in the stores they had been to. In all honesty we had no idea that it was that difficult to find women's clothing to match the mission call.
Armed with overwhelming demand for a line that would send Sisters out into the field ready to properly serve, we went about the task of finding not only clothing for Sisters but the right clothing for Sisters. Durable, washable, cute and stylish, built for the mission, we wanted to make sure we weren't sending out things that were inferior just to cash in on the new demand. We feel we have some really good things in store for the new young sisters and even more coming in the next few weeks.
To all of the Sisters and their mothers who have helped give us direction and support with all of the styles and colors and pretty much everything else, we give our heartfelt thanks. Thanks also go to my wife as she braved the huge women's trade show floor scouting out coats and clothing all the while being 6 months pregnant. Quite a woman!
So while we don't have absolutely everything quite yet, we do have a lot of things already that we hope you will find an excellent fit for Sister Missionaries and LDS women in general.
