Here Comes the Bridal Boutiques
By Joshua GreeneNew York- For a bride,
there can never be too many gowns and
accessories from which to choose, especially
if choosing them means visiting boutiques
where sales consultants are doting and
little goodies are made-to-order.
For the most demanding -the New York
Bride-jewel box shops continue to open in
Manhattan, despite the uncertain economy and
recent guilt associated with frivolity here.
As final details fall into place and the
everything-must-be-perfect mind of a
bride-to-be kicks into overdrive, these new
boutiques are offering women some fresh
venues to shop.
Well known in the bridal community,
Fenaroli for Regalia touts an unofficial
slogan: "Everything for the bride but the
dress." While the company had a showroom in
New York for the past 10 years, a strong
demand for Fenaroli's footwear, accessories
and tiaras sparked the idea to turn the
company's seventh Avenue space into a
private retail boutique.
The decision was finalized last year and
the space reopened in January as a store.
Karen Fenaroli, chief executive officer and
designer, said she expects the new store to
make up 5 to 10 percent of her business,
with initial sales projections for the
boutique at $1 million.
The Boston-based company opened it's
first store on Chicago's Oak Street six
months ago, near neighbors Barneys New York
and PRADA. But desire for a presence in New
York was a major factor in opening the
by-appointment atelier, according to
Fenaroli, who said the store is four times
as busy as Chicago's.
"The New York bride is unbelievable,"
Fenaroli said. "She searches and finds what
she wants."
Fenaroli said the 1,400-square-foot
Chicago store is a blueprint for things to
come and currently looking for a permanent
retail site in New York, most likely uptown
off Madison Avenue. She said the decision
will be made within the year. "If they find
us off Seventh Avenue, then they'll find us
off Madison," Fenaroli said. "But brides
really like the private atelier environment.
They feel like I'm bringing them into my
world."
In addition to expanding business and
visibility, Fenaroli said the stores offer a
footprint for her wholesale clients to
follow. Shop-in-shops in stores like Neiman
Marcus, one of Fenaroli's largest customers,
are an ideal environment, she said.
"We want to look at stores that are our
best and help them shop-in-shops," Fenaroli
said "I want the ability to [display] my
product in an unabridged version and have
our assortment the way we want it presented
to the public." Wholesale prices for
Fenaroli for Regalia footwear runs $85 to
$300; jewelry $60 to $300; tiaras $85 to
$300; children's wear $120 to $200, and
veils between $100 and $200.
Mark Ingram opened his own bridal atelier
after the design team at Wearkstatt, where
Ingram was a former general manager and
buyer, closed its SoHo boutique to focus on
wholesale business.
The Bridal Atelier by Mark Ingram opened
in January in midtown and offers a wide
range of gowns, including styles from Anne
Barge, Peter Langner, Amy Michelson and
Manolo Collection. Ingram said he wanted a
location that would be easily accessible
midday and on the weekends, since multiple
visits are required for most brides.
Typically, an initial visit lasts an hour
and includes a consultation with one of the
Atelier's four sales consultants.
At that point, Ingram said, the
consultant will pull from the back room and
the bride can display her options to family
and friends seated in the front of the space
on comfy sofas. The entire space was
remodeled before Ingram moved in and
features travertine floors, cool green and
beige walls and plenty of mirrors to catch
every angle of a dress. Since Ingram said he
had aims to breed a strong relationship
between the salespeople and the
brides-to-be, the space is limited to only
three brides at a time.
"We have brides that range in age from 21
to 40. |