Anonymous owner loves sharing joy with clients

By Shari Goldstein Stern

What woman hasn’t longed to empty her closet and start over? Her dream is to create a new wardrobe from scratch, featuring the latest trends, some classic styles, a refreshed color palette and new accessories. The urge may strike as one season blossoms into another or when the days get shorter or longer. Sometimes, her desire arises after a successful weight-loss effort, and she needs clothes five sizes smaller. The same is true when a woman regrettably gains and must size up. “But who can afford that?” silently lingers.

Rene’ Bankston created a one-stop solution to each of these desires and more. Her Lake Highlands boutique, Anonymously Yours (AY), has enjoyed robust business for more than 40 years in a strip center on the south side of Forest Lane, just West of Abrams. Bankston describes her consignment customers as discerning women whose wardrobes are constantly changing: “Clothing styles are ever evolving, and women need to make room for the newbies.” She adds that her typical customers are ages “thirty-four to antique. Like us. Some of us just don’t want to look dated.”

AY also serves brides and wedding attendants through a full-service bridal salon. We spoke to brides who said they are drawn to the wide selection of styles. 

Whether they’re into traditional lace, seed pearls and feminine details, or a sleek, modern, minimalist look, these customers value the personal attention and follow-through of the experienced AY staff. While planning their weddings, they appreciate their patience, and the amazing prices available for fresh, new, current styles.

Consignees and customers said they enjoy the family-owned atmosphere and the convenient, comfortable location. They agreed that they always find something they can’t live without at a price they can live with. Visiting AY is like dropping in on that part of the family you enjoy.

Bankston opened AY in 1984 with her mom, who retired in 1997. At the time, she was working on her master’s degree in library science while dabbling in vintage clothing sales on the weekends.

According to the entrepreneur, “I was influenced to make consignment my career choice when my dad, the pharmacist, sent me to fix one of his employees’ closets after he noticed she had been wearing the same clothing for three days. 

“I had to take everything out of it to fix the broken dowel rod. When it was time to put everything back, the lady gave me what she didn’t want to return to her newly refurbished closet.” When Bankston, being an innovative young woman, realized her living room was wall-to-wall clothing, she tried selling the pieces at a flea market. Apparently, that went well for her.

“When I came to Dallas, I married after a couple of years and sold my gown in two days,” Bankston said. “So, I thought if I could sell my own, I should be able to sell someone else’s gown as well. The bridal concept mushroomed from there.”

Bankston has a variety of sources for her bridal inventory, like manufacturers’ discontinued stock, stores going out of business and individuals regularly bringing in gowns. “My sources include vendors from bridal wholesale companies all over the world. In over 40 years, I have made a lot of great contacts.” Bankston added, “I am constantly scouting for new vendors, and either they find me, or I find them. The primary source is word of mouth among Dallas bridal store owners.

Bankston travels in a large orbit in town, where she knows everyone, and they know her. It’s no secret that word-of-mouth builds a solid network. She and her husband, Chris Park, enjoy their Lake Highlands home near the business. They share it with their two 2 1/2-year-old Maltese “bonded sisters.”

AY’s typical wedding customer is a bride on a budget who is fashion-conscious and wants to spend more on the wedding or honeymoon than on clothes.

Some of Bankston’s consignors have been with her since 1984. “Some have moved away from Dallas and now mail their items to us for consignment. I have had customers from all of Texas’ surrounding states, and Alaska, Mexico and China,” she said. Bankston donates unsold inventory to Genesis Women’s Shelter.

Bankston’s highest-priced consigned item was a $9,000 coat by high-end designer, Biyan. AY sold the coat for $2,999.99. “We carry other exclusive brands, including Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli and more.

The entrepreneur’s “oldest bride” was 79, and her groom was 80. Rene’ said, “Both had been married, had children, and both had lost their spouses. They had known each other since grade school. They began dating after meeting at church all those decades later. 

The bride bought a $4,000 Pronovias Silk Gown for $1,299, a veil and hair jewelry. She was drop-dead gorgeous,” Bankston said. “Her daughters brought her in, and we had so much fun with those girls, laughing and sharing their joy with their mother.” AY’s youngest bride was 13.

Hailing from Louisiana, South of Baton Rouge, Bankston grew up living a country life with her “grampas” close by, working with her dad on the land. “Dad was a pharmacist, Mom a beautician at the time. Both gramps retired from Esso, which is now Exxon. Growing up in the country taught me to sew, crochet, hunt and fish. Crocheting came in handy when making crawfish nets with my gramps.”

Bankston is a familiar name in Dallas history. W.O. Bankston opened his first car dealership, Bankston Motors, on Ross Avenue in 1938. “My Great Gramps, W. O. Bankston, was born in Grangeville, Louisiana. He had 25 children. His son, Rene’s gramps, John Laurence Bankston, and his twin sister were W.O.’s youngest. W.O. migrated to Dallas from Louisiana,” Bankston explained in her distinctly southern drawl.

Bankston describes her boutique as “Anonymous, but well-known in Lake Highlands.” AY is located at 9310 Forest Lane, Dallas 75243.