(5 minute read)
If anyone remembers the old City Arcade when ‘The Cabin’ was a tiny booth opposite the ‘Samba Café’, they may also remember the arrival of La Danse in 1985, created by Annie Hartley. All the staff, including Annie’s daughter, Brigette, (then a Saturday Assistant), were trained to fit pointe shoes by Michael Gamba and Rodney Freed, the shop stocked all the leading dance brands of the time: Gamba, Freed, Timestep, Supadance, Equity, Meadows, Porselli and Slix, to name but a few and the shop’s slogan (noting the internet wasn’t a thing) was; “If we haven’t got it – we’ll get it!”
In the mid 90’s Annie sold La Danse and over the following two decades the shop changed hands and moved location twice, first to Broad Street and then to the Hopmarket Arcade.
In the summer of 2015, the shop found itself in need of new management and new ownership and Brigette, having enjoyed her own international dance career, was back in Worcester and able to buy back her mother’s former shop. She found the business in desperate need of TLC and took on the challenge with a dedicated clean-up and re-stocking campaign. Over the next 4 years, La Danse’s reputation grew, with many dance teachers recommending that their students exclusively choose La Danse for their fittings.
Then in 2020, the Covid pandemic hit.
Shops, dance schools and theatres all closed their doors and the very future of retail was brought into question. During the first lockdown, Britt designed and built the Fitting Pod so as soon as shops were allowed to reopen, all fittings could continue safely. Her loyal customer database patiently waited for the world to reopen, whilst continuing to dance via Zoom. As soon as lockdown lifted, the appointment diary immediately filled up and La Danse was back in action.
In this decade, the focus of retail really changed. Shopping habits changed. Customers were choosing to buy many products online so dance shops up and down the country were closing. The net result was that dancers travelled even further to come to La Danse for the expert fitting service and Britt became busier than ever!
The Hopmarket and Worcester City Centre had been home to La Danse for nearly 4 decades but by 2024, the shop was ready for a new home. Britt wanted to create an environment that would meet the needs of her customers in a location away from the town centre. So she designed a purpose built shop in a safe, quiet, accessible area with free parking and complete flexibility to offer out of hours fitting service.
And that is how La Danse continues to thrive. Knowledge, expertise, flexibility, passion and lots of beautiful stock. A valuable resource for dancers near and far.
La Danse Fitting Service.
Your feet in safe hands.