After growing up in California, Rachel Benporat, 29, spent a year in Israel. When she came back, she decided to teach. After getting married, Benporat moved to Baltimore. As she continued to teach, Benporat realized that she wanted to try something else.
Now, she is the owner of Ooh La La Boutique, a women’s modest clothing store, in Pikesville.
Benporat and her husband, Donnie Benporat, live in Pikesville with their three children. The family belongs to Congregation Beit Yaakov.
How do you feel Ooh La La has changed your life?
It was just an opportunity that popped up, and I just grabbed it. In the beginning, I was really scared because I didn’t know anything about retail and business. It was totally something new but it took me like a year to figure out. Now I love it. I love being there and helping the customers. I got lucky that I got to try another career. It’s given me so much more confidence and [made me] more open to different people. I realize now that I’m such a people person that I didn’t know I was.
What does a day in your life look like?
We get up, get the kids ready for school, drop everyone off, and then I have a little bit of time to myself. I like to go for a walk or prepare dinner. Then the store opens at 11. I go into the store, and I work with my helper. We help people; we restock shelves; we help put out new inventory. Then I go pick up the kids. Then it is dinner and bedtime. This job is great because I get to choose my hours. I get to be flexible. When my kids are home, I get to be with them.
What does it mean to you to own one of the main modest clothing stores in Baltimore?
I feel very honored that the community accepted my store and supports me as a modest clothing store. I feel lucky, and I feel a responsibility. I try really hard to pick the right stuff and show up for people.
Do you feel any pressure to have a cute outfit every day?
In the beginning, I felt more pressure, but now it comes naturally. I don’t think about it. I just wear the clothes. I don’t overthink it. It’s part of my uniform.
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part is putting together an outfit or choosing clothes for someone and having them leave the store feeling confident and good about themselves and their own body. I feel that everyone is beautiful. People stereotype a certain figure or a certain look to be beautiful. But I really believe that everybody’s beautiful and you just need to bring out that beauty and wear the right clothes. If you wear the right clothes and the correct size, it will look beautiful on you. I want people to know that kind of self-respect and self-esteem, and I feel like I could gift it to them through my clothes.
