Taffy Epstein History

Taffy Epstein and Taffy’s Dancewear: A Story of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Creativity

Dressing dancers from the classroom to the stage. The transformative magic of putting on a costume. The joy of your first pointe shoes. The fun of making noise with your tap shoes. Your first tutu. The excitement of graduating from a blue leotard to a black one. Your favorite leotard, what to wear to an audition, the feeling of dancing in flowing fabrics or geometric designs. What we wear helps to dictate how we feel, act and dance. And at the center of it all, for almost 50 years, was an innovative company called Taffy’s Dancewear, created, led and inspired by one of the first modern-day female entrepreneurs, Taffy Epstein. Divorced in 1961 at a time when a woman couldn’t get bank loans, credit cards nor even join a country club, Taffy managed to run a business and raise 2 children on her own. A remarkable achievement in her time.

Taffy’s, first called Cleveland Dance Footwear, was the brainchild of Harvey and Taffy Epstein and was opened in 1954. What first began as a hobby, it soon became Taffy’s personal passion and love. Taffy’s grew from one retail store in the Old Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio to fourteen retail stores and a nationwide dance costume, dancewear, gymnastics, drill team, and records and books mail-order house.

In the 50’s and 60’s the popularity of TV variety shows, movie musicals and dance companies on tour inspired dance studios to open in large and small towns everywhere. College dance programs were fostered, first in the Physical Education programs and eventually as their own departments and majors. All of this regional dance created a demand for high quality dancewear. Taffy saw this opportunity and started opening additional dance shops. First in Dallas, followed by Boston, Atlanta and a 2nd Cleveland shop in Parma, Ohio. As the number of stores grew Taffy needed to set up a supply system for the stores. In 1966, as downtown America was on the decline, Taffy moved the store to the suburbs and eventually took a warehouse space nearby to service all the stores. The need for unique costumes and uniforms alongside the branded product offerings forced Taffy to create a manufacturing facility as well. In the 70’s and 80’s the number of stores grew from the original five to fourteen with additional stores in Fort Worth, Texas, Marietta, GA, Kenmore Square, MA, Salt Lake City, Utah, Memphis, Tenn, 2 stores in Seattle, San Jose, CA and in 1982 New York City.

From the very start technical innovations influenced dancewear. Dupont’s Helenca Nylon, a product developed in 1938 and used widely in WWll, became part of a woman’s wardrobe after the war. Replacing hard-to-get silk, nylon stockings were more durable and less expensive. Stockings were soon replaced by nylon panty hose. In 1954 Triumph Hosiery created a division called Danskin, a company focused on tights and leotards made from Helenca Nylon and specifically for dancers. Taffy’s was the first catalog to introduce this miraculous product. Now dancers could purchase and wear form fitting garments that resisted mildew, washed easily and did not wrinkle. And as skirts got shorter, tights were a necessity to complete a woman’s wardrobe. In the 1970’s Lycra Spandex, another Dupont innovation, became part of the sports, dance, gymnastics and fitness world. The properties of Lycra made for vibrant colors, ease of movement, was infinitely dyable and more comfortable than nylon. By the 1980’s the cross over from the studio to the street, the fitness craze and the proliferation of dance studios and programs added to the popularity of Taffy’s. Always focused on offering high quality products and first-rate customer service kept Taffy’s far above the competition. Taffy’s sourced products from Europe and Asia and carried garments and shoes not easily found anywhere else. She often referred to her company as the Neiman-Marcus of the dance world.

Taffy’s management style was unique. She did not have an office and worked side by side with her employees. She was at work at the crack of dawn and worked tirelessly through the night at home. Hiring mostly women, Taffy empowered her employees to be creative problem solvers and risk takers. She instinctively knew to surround herself with dancers and artists, they often became employees. Notably: Rita Ford, the first employee and talented actress and artist and Judith Diehl, a former dancer and part time employee, who became the Director of Marketing in 1968. Kathryn Karipides, retired dance professor and department chair. Retired in 1998 Kathyrn, is now the Samuel B. and Virginia C. Knight Professor Emerita at Case Western Reserve University. Kathyrn was Taffy’s closest friend, advisor and confidant. Taffy’s daughter, Susan, a dancer from an early age, worked at Taffy’s all her life. These are the people, among others, that made countless contributions to product development, sourcing, advertising and marketing. Dancers and artists were often employees in the retail stores. It was this deep connection to dancers and women that helped set Taffy’s apart from the competition.

Taffy’s is credited with and was known for featuring a plethora of new-to-the-market dance products including dance dresses, jazz boots, rhythm tap shoes, split sole jazz shoes and Lycra and cotton Lycra bodywear. It was the first company to specialize in carrying new and imported brands name products.

Although the costume catalog featured live and in color photographs since 1956, the poses were quite static. The dancewear catalog was presented in sketches. All of that changed in 1977 when Taffy’s became the first to produce a full color and photographed dancewear catalog using trained dancers dancing in the shoes and apparel. These award winning, coffee table catalogs positioned Taffy’s as a company that truly understood dancers and the art form.

In the 1980’s discounters began to erode the market. Taffy would not discount her products or services, maintaining her position as representing the highest quality and professionalism. In 1990 Taffy sold the company to Capezio, a company she admired and respected.

After only six weeks of retirement Taffy started a delivery service company, long before Door Dash and Uber Eats. She sold it within two years and once again retired.

She came out of retirement one last time to take on another venture. In 2013 Taffy read about Dance for PD. Wanting to help a close friend who was the daughter of a beloved employee who had early onset Parkinson’s, Taffy brought her crew together, contacted David Leventhal and created, Yes I Can (!) Dance and off shoot of Dance for PD. It was to be her last creation, and Taffy Epstein left this world in June of 2013.

To read a more detailed history and memoir (Taffy’s-A Memoir)

To see the catalogs in person, The Taffy archives of catalogs from 1954-1990 along with other documents and photographs, are housed at both the Cleveland Public Library Special Collections Department and at the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute Thompson Library Special Collections at The Ohio State University. Please contact them directly to arrange a visit.

All photos courtesy of Susan Epstein.

Milestones

1954

Cleveland Dance Footwear opens in The Old Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio

1955

First catalog featuring dancewear, shoes and other dance products is mailed. The catalog is black and white and all sketches. This annual dancewear catalog was mailed continuously until 1990 peaking at a distribution of 100,000.

1956

Danskin leotards and tights introduced to the dancewear apparel market

1957

Full color and photographed recital costume postcard is mailed

1958

Full color recital costume catalog named Showstoppers is produced. This annual catalog was mailed continuously until 1990

1959

Taffy helps to form The United Dance Merchants of America and becomes the Secretary/Treasurer

1960

Dallas store is opened followed by Boston and Atlanta

1961

First record and book catalog

1966

Taffy’s moves from downtown to the suburbs

1960-1970

Multiple stores are opened

1968

Judith Diehl becomes Director of Marketing

1972

Great Styles for Action Gymnastic catalog is created

1970's

Full color and photographed Dance Drill Team catalog was added to the annual mailings

1975-76

Lycra bodywear enters into dancewear and fitness market

1977

Dancewear catalog goes from sketches to full color photographs featuring beautiful dancers dancing – a trend that continued until 1990

1978

Susan graduates from Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Dance

1979

Susan becomes a student in the MFA graduate dance program at Case Western Reserve University

1982

New York City store is opened – Susan joins Taffy’s as full time as employee

1983-85

Susan dances with Albert Reid and Dancers in NYC

1982-1987

Dance and Fitness catalogs added to Taffy’s repertoire

1990

Taffy’s is sold to Capezio

1992–1996

Susan consults for Danskin and revitalizes their dance line

1992-2014

Susan consults for Curtain Call Costumes

1991-2014

Susan becomes the President of the United Dance Merchants of America and with her husband John Hickey creates the UDMA Costume Preview Show – serving the dance apparel industry

1991

Taffy creates Diner Is Served, a dinner delivery business

1993

Taffy sells Dinner is Served

2013

Taffy brings Dance for PD to Cleveland and creates Yes (!) I Can Dance

2015

present Susan joins the Gibney staff as Producing Director of Learning & Leadership Group Programs