I started this blog to share what I know about weddings, after having owned a bridal shop, worked wholesale for a bridal designer, and worked in catering and at an event venue (Meridian House, for those of you in DC). Somehow, I was going to do this while keeping one of the more major events of my life private (the closing of my store, Promise). Well, not surprisingly, I keep referencing my shop and I now find, two months after closing, I kind of want to talk about it. A little at least.
Deciding to close was one of the most brutal and difficult decisions I have had to make. For the last six years, all I did was work on my shop. In the way of small businesses, it was everything to me and I put everything I had into making it a success.
When the economy took a header last summer, I was absolutely petrified. Ever the eternal optimist, though, I had faith and began to noodle strategies for surviving one of the worst downturns in a long, long time. The economy affected everyone's (including my own) spending habits, and while, yes, people still do get married, it doesn't mean they are not reevaluating their budgets and changing how they spend their money. As I have mentioned countless times, there are a ton of options out there for ladies to find their gowns, and it got harder and harder for me to keep Promise covering its obligations.
I was haunted by the horror stories of other bridal shops closing and angry mobs of brides banging on the door. I was absolutely tortured thinking about all of my customers, who trusted me to take care of them, feeling betrayed. I was totally at my wits' end, unable to honor my word to my customers and take care of them until their wedding day. I was also unable to pay my staff, rent, and vendors (paying myself was completely out of the question). Needless to say, the life and heart were completely sucked out of me. I have never had to quit anything in my life...well, sure, countless jobs, but nothing I have ever set my heart and mind to. I am a tenacious girl, I will always find a way to make something I want work.
With Promise, I could not win. It all boils down to money coming in and money going out and, after several months of attempting every entrepreneurial trick in the book, I could not continue to stay open, given how important my customers were to me, as well as the financial obligations that needed to be met.
I am very honest by nature, and desperately wanted to just call all my brides and say, "Hey, the economy has kicked me and my store's a**, we're closing. Come get your dress." Of course, that was not an option.
No matter how I could spin that kind of news, human nature would be to freak the F out. Also, my lawyer (yes, I had to lose everything to save myself and my customers) said to keep it on the down low. So, instead I came up with a plan. I made sure every girl who had a gown at the store got it. I spoke with all of my designers before closing to arrange that every girl with a gown or item on order received it from the designer. Sordid details here.
Being sneaky is not my bag, but it was the right thing to do - the end result being what I wanted. No one was majorly adversely affected, other than a little stress.
Saying goodbye to Promise was so hard - it still makes me cry just thinking about that day. I haven't driven down the street Promise was on since. I probably won't for a long time.
The aftermath has been no less difficult. While several customers (and all of my vendors) e-mailed supportive messages, some took it upon themselves to criticize how I had closed, question my motives, or insist on a form of compensation for the trouble of pressing their dresses themselves now that Promise was closed and would not be doing that for them. One even suggested I closed just because I wanted to move back to the West Coast. Part of me excuses this smallness of heart - after all, it must have been petrifying to receive my email about Promise closing, and panic/fear makes people do strange things. Most of me, however, finds it thoughtless and cruel.
After closing, I am still finding my way and coming out of what I now realize was such intense stress that I set aside who I was (a happy, gregarious, outgoing person) to get through such a difficult time. I am grateful that I have someplace I can share my experience. The truth is that, with weddings, while they are about flowers and romance and dresses, they are also so much more about joining your life with another, and what that means. My husband has been an absolute champion, and I thank every lucky star every day that I have him. He was there to support me and hold my hand throughout, even though I was a complete disaster. We were married the year I opened, and he stood by me during the worst time ever. Which is what marriage, really, is all about.
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