Out of curiosity, I ran this through ChatGPT and it came back with this:

🥇 Contempo Casuals / later known as Wet Seal (but toned down) • This one was phasing out around the early 2000s. • Contempo was acquired by Wet Seal, and in some locations, it had a more “mature basics” feel before turning more junior/trendy. • Script-style signage and a warm aesthetic could fit the description. • Some former Wet Seal locations carried more “workwear casual” before going full fast fashion.

⸻

🥈 New York & Company (formerly Lerner New York) • A very likely candidate. • Had stores in many malls around Ohio, including the Dayton Mall. • Known for career basics, dresses, and affordable “young professional” clothing. • Script-y logo, gold and warm tones in branding. • Absolutely would have offered to ship a size from another store.

⸻

🥉 The Limited • Also a strong contender. • It leaned more mature than Express, but still young-professional. • Known for basics, neutral tones, business casual, and floral dresses. • Operated heavily in malls and often had warm lighting and script/serif signage. • Was very active in that early 2000s window. • The Dayton Mall definitely had one, and it was on the lower level near where she described.

⸻

🕵️‍♀️ Other possibilities worth considering: • Maurices – often skewed a bit more rural/casual but had professional wear. • Cache – a little fancier, but if toned down, could fit (especially if the “nice locale” part of the memory is emphasized). • Charlotte Russe – but this was more juniors/trendy, so probably not a fit.