The Journal

Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: LifeStyle

Media Credit: Ashley Gieseking Debbie 'Dahlal' Sinclair, a 1986 Webster University alumna, travels to the Middle East twice a year to import items for her belly dance apparel business, Dahlal Internationale.

Hidden in a Kirkwood industrial park is a warehouse filled with vibrant costumes, scarves, purses and coin belts - but this isn't just a costume shop.


Founded in 1986, Dahlal Internationale is a Web-based, mail-order belly dance costume and supply shop. The company is the brainchild of Debbie "Dahlal" Sinclair, a 1986 Webster University graduate. "Dahlal" is Sinclair's dancer name, meaning "a spoiled or pampered woman" in Arabic.


"I didn't know the meaning when I picked it," she said. "It's perfect for our industry."


Since its inception 21 years ago, the business has grown from two scarf styles from India to a warehouse of items imported from countries like Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey. Almost all of these items are handmade and one-of-a-kind.


"It's not like I can walk in and buy six of the same thing," said Sinclair, who has a bachelor's degree in graphic design.


Sinclair takes a three-week trip to the Middle East twice a year. During her most recent trip in January, she met with individual designers and suppliers to select items for her business back in the States. All Dahlal belly dancing items, such as scarves, costumes, accessories, music and videos are ordered online and shipped to customers.


"When you buy one (item), you buy that particular one that's shown," Sinclair said in reference to items on the company's Web site.


Sinclair, who danced for 30 years, claims she "fell into the business." A belly dancing teacher at the time, a friend referred her to a company that imported items from around the world. Shortly thereafter, she decided to branch out on her own and invested half of her savings to start a belly dancing apparel business from home. She started off selling fabric, beads and music.


"Everybody made their own costuming," she said.


Dahlal Internationale began as a mail-order business. Items did not become available online until 1998. As technology changed, so did Sinclair's business.


"You went from LPs to cassettes to CDs," she said. "Videos and DVDs didn't even exist."

Continued...

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