Meet Jenny Roman of The Dance Store

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Roman.

Hi Jenny, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am originally from South Africa, and after moving to Los Angeles I began taking ballet classes in West LA, but couldn’t find a dance store near me. Because I saw this need in the community, my husband and I started The Dance Store in March of 1997 located in Santa Monica, CA. Business was very slow in the beginning, so I would work by myself (sometimes even taking a swim in the ocean in the middle of the day!) In 2000, we moved our location from Santa Monica to Venice, and in 2003 we were able to purchase the inventory from Karabel’s Dance, subsequently opening a second location. In 2010, we closed our Venice location and moved to our current location, 2509 S Robertson Blvd, where we have been since 2010. (15 years!).

We specialize in pointe shoe fittings and work predominantly with dance schools and professional companies across Southern California to allow dancers complete access to anything they may need. Now, in 2025, we host group fittings for dance schools both in our store and at specific studio locations by request. Boasting the largest selection of pointe shoes in Southern California, we also pair with professional companies to provide shoes to each dancer as they need.

The Dance Store is always excited to meet a new dancer or work with a familiar one, and we continue to provide the best service and the highest quality dancewear to all dancers!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening a small business and staying afloat is no easy feat, but such a fulfilling one. Aside from typical business challenges, a daily challenge is keeping complete inventory in stock at all times. With majority of our pointe shoes being handmade and shipped from overseas, receiving our inventory is unlike other businesses, ranging from delivery in one week to several months. In order to combat this, we must keep hundreds of shoes from various companies in a plethora of sizes to give every dancer an opportunity to find their perfect shoe. Even if the shoe is not what a dancer has worn in the past, we are always able to find a similar shoe that makes them feel just as confident. We face this challenge each and every day, but our job is to find a shoe for everyone!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Dance Store?
The Dance Store boasts the largest pointe shoe selection in Southern California, giving the dancers that come to us a leg above. They are able to try any and every shoe the ballet world offers, and paired with our expertise, dancers are able to find their perfect fit. Aside from ballet, we also have a large selection of dance wear for jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, and hip hop dancers, ranging from baby and toddler sizes to adult. Additionally, our mission is to offer the lowest price possible compared to other companies, only raising prices when larger factories do. We want to make dance as accessible as possible.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The biggest thank you’s go to my husband, Paul, for always supporting me and my dreams, and Elza Prado, a former dance store owner from Brazil and lovely employee of mine who helped foster relationships with many dance schools and has unmatched expertise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thedancestore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedancestorela/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thedancestorela
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-dance-store-los-angeles?osq=the+dance+store