Kids love to dress up and pretend! They dress up as princesses, go crazy for Halloween and pretend they are pirates…boys and girls alike.  Parents love it too; seeing their kids use their imagination, play acting and socializing.  Dress up and pretend play pushes children into the active realm. Kids get to create the story and its characters, stretching their imagination in the process. Active play helps kids develop their abstract thinking abilities, which are integral to every aspect of development.  

Despite the role that pretend play has in the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well being of children, time for free play has been markedly reduced.  At The Dress Up Club, our mission is to bring the world of imagination into the forefront of kids’ activities – like reading, playing sports, learning an instrument or riding bikes.  This is a club that allows parents to encourage creative play time.  Play is so important to optimal child development that is has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child.

The Dress Up Club was created by Chris Marrese and Russell Ward; two friends and dads who saw their kids’ imaginations ignite every time they got them together for play dates.   During play dates the kids would gravitate to the costume trunks and play dress-up. They would spend hours being fairies, fire fighters and whatever else they could dream up.  

The idea for The Dress Up Club was hatched when the friends realized how difficult it was to find a good selection of costumes at anytime other than Halloween.   Even then it was impossible to get great quality for a reasonable price.   Both parents had built up a great collection of children’s books through book clubs and the idea of “a book club but for kids' dress up costumes” was born.   By adding value, sourcing the highest quality suppliers and without the shelf space limitations of retail stores, The Dress Up Club offers a one stop “instant” dress up collection for incredibly low prices.   

The Dress Up Club is dedicated to Chris' and Russ' kids and to developing creative minds everywhere.