With Rita Ford as her designer, in the late 1950s, Taffy’s Costumes was born. Never caring about the money, Taffy focused on style and quality. She always wanted to be on the cutting edge in everything she did. For example, while manufacturers used photographs in the costume catalogues, they did not in the dancewear catalogues. In 1976, Taffy was the first to use photographs rather than sketches in the dancewear books.

 

“She was very close to dance,” Susan said. She used nice-looking dancers to model the costumes. She had dancers on the set to ensure the techniques were accurate with the bodies positioned just right, and she had a professional dancer-turned-photographer do the photography. She welcomed and encouraged creativity among her staff. For example, by the 1970s, she was using smoke and other special effects to add professionalism and pizzazz to the catalogue photos. Taffy expected and got excellence. Besides the outstanding selection of costumes, the catalogues themselves were “the best out there” and quickly set the industry standard.

 

Her retail stores grew to 14 (Cleveland; Dallas; Marietta, GA; Boston; Parma, OH; Fort Worth; San Jose; Salt Lake City; Memphis; New York; and two stores in Seattle.). Taffy never had an office but preferred to be out there working with everyone else. She was hands-on and “elbow-to-elbow” with her employees, taking an active part in the day-to-day business.

 

Danny Lather, a former manager of the Buckhead [Atlanta] store said, “ She was a workaholic. The warehouse and stores were her life, and we [employees] were all her children. She knew everything that went in or out of the stores.

 

“She is proud of the fact that she opened every piece of mail that came in,” Susan said, “so she always knew what was going on.”

 

“I think Taffy was the first to put the costumes on computer,” Danny said, “but before computerization, Taffy took every costume order home and often sat up through the night working on the spreadsheets before sending them to the factory.”

 

Taffy truly cared about her “people.” Danny recalled the time he got a call one Sunday morning that the Buckhead store burned down. He was frantic when he called Taffy in Cleveland. Taffy told him, “Don’t worry. It can all be replaced”…as long as no one was hurt.

 

“Taffy,” Danny said, “kept our heads on straight and was supportive. If any of us needed anything, she was there in a heartbeat, and that was the way she treated all of us.”

 

Taffy’s mail order and national business took off when she began attending dance conventions. “The people who had been in the business like Leo’s, Kalmo Textiles, Capezio were all going to conventions,” Taffy said.

 

When someone asked why Taffy, with such a tiny business was going to the shows, she said she thought she might meet some teachers. She was right. When the Cleveland teachers visited Taffy’s table and told her they were enjoying the show but were weary and hungry, Taffy got on the phone with room service and had coffee and Danish delivered to the hospitality room.

 

“Those days were so much fun. I was the only woman in the business, which always surprised me since the teachers were all women...and I traveled with the men,” she said. Because organizations like Dance Masters of America and Dance Educators of America didn’t allow time for the teachers to visit the exhibitors in 1959, UDMA was created, and Taffy, because she was the only woman, was the secretary.

  

“I had so much fun…it was a virgin field. TV had just come in, and dance exploded….it was an exciting time. The industry was growing. It was a whole new world—new friends— the camaraderie,” Taffy said.

 

But Taffy always seemed to be having fun. During those early years in Cleveland, Taffy’s home was “a revolving door” of celebrities. “It seemed as if there was always a party at our house,” Susan said. Harvey, at the time, had an equity theater company and produced shows bringing a parade of celebrities to Cleveland (some of whom had been black-listed during the McCarthy hearings). Among the guests coming to party at Taffy’s were Dick Gregory, Shelley Berman, Howard DeSilva, Alan Alda as well as celebrities from other local venues. When the ballet was in Cleveland, the performers also were entertained at Taffy’s with what has been called “unassuming generosity.”

 

“Nureyev and Balanchine were there,” Susan said, “and often with three or four parties in a row, I learned early how to straighten up quickly and put out the candy and cigarettes for the next party.”

 

Taffy, according to colleagues and friends, despite her success, never changed from the determined, fun-loving young woman who got married and had children just because it was what women were expected to do. It was, in fact, her determined, fun-loving approach to life along with her gifted sense of style and business acumen that made her an icon in the dance business. Sometimes irreverent, often outspoken, Taffy has been called a straight shooter by longtime friend and colleague, tap legend Buster Cooper. “She has never been afraid to tell the truth. With her superior business capabilities and her passion for excellence, she could be called the female Stanley Marcus,” Buster said.

 

 Although she was never much of a dancer, Taffy’s love of dance as an art form was apparent. “She gave her heart and soul to dance and dancers, often going out of her way to be there for support,” Buster said.

 

A breast cancer survivor (a mastectomy in the 1950s), Taffy focuses on what she does have. The only change in her life, according to Taffy, is that she now has a “fake boob.” Never losing her sense of humor or zeal for living, years ago at a party, after Taffy had had a little too much to drink, in response to a bet she pulled out her “fake boob” to see if it would float.

 

This year she has been battling sight loss due to Macular Degeneration but has undergone groundbreaking procedures, which have restored some of her eyesight. When asked to speak to various organizations about the procedures, Taffy says she doesn’t have time to talk about these things because she is too busy living.

 

Passionate about the Cleveland Indians and politics, especially women’s rights, Taffy says she was born too early and should have been a child of the 1960s. The secret of success? Taffy, said, “I never did it for the money. I just had fun. When it stopped being fun, I stopped.” In 1989, Taffy decided she was no longer having fun, and she sold Taffy’s to Capezio. Taffy says that today, her business style would “lay an egg…no one wants an image. Everything is discount. I couldn’t afford to run my business today.”

 

Taffy has never been afraid to take risks, to go a little beyond. Her advice, whether in business or in personal relationships, “Reach for the moon. If you fall, it’s into the stars.”

 

While the industry considers her successful, Taffy says she truly never thinks of herself as successful. Asked how she feels about having dedicated her life to the dance field, Taffy said, “I feel that the dance field dedicated its life to me, and what a terrific time I’ve had.”

 

 

 

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