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All in a
Day's Work
Dress
Boutique
By Tim McNellie
Though she had prior
experience in dress sales, Lynn Grimes admits that she faced
something of a learning curve when she entered the wedding dress
side of the business and purchased Checkers Boutique on Washington
Road.
That’s because, when
it comes to weddings, everything is magnified, including the
stress of finding the right outfit. That can lead to some
frustrated brides-to-be when they start to get overwhelmed by the
process of searching for the right dress. But thanks to plenty of
patience,
strong word-of-mouth, and a seasoned staff of employees, Checkers
has prospered, and Grimes, 36, has become a veteran when it comes
to wedding dresses.
Today, three years
since taking over Checkers, Grimes boasts a list of clients
ranging from Virginia to Erie to the United Kingdom (one
U.K.-based American servicewoman worked with Grimes online to find
the right dress for her wedding, which took place in Pittsburgh).
The Peters Township Source talked with Grimes recently about what
it’s like guiding brides through the process of finding the
perfect look for their big day.
So what’s it like
working with brides-to-be?
It’s interesting.
You have to have an open mind, because everyone is different and
is looking for something different. There are some girls who walk
in and say, “I’m getting married in five weeks. What do you
have?” Then there are
those who say, “I’m not getting married for two years,” but
they’re already looking for their dress.
How many dresses does
the average bride try on?
Anywhere from one to
30. We’ve had people walk right in and find their dress almost
instantly. We’ve had others who have been here for four hours
and are getting burned out from stress. Sometimes it’s best for
them to go out, get a cup of coffee, or even just come back
another day. You want to be fresh and comfortable when you’re
picking out a wedding dress. The people who seem to suffer the
worst from stress are those who have been to nine other shops in
their search for the right dress. Sometimes they need to just step
back and sleep on it.
Have you seen anybody
having a breakdown during the dress selection process?
Not in a bad way. One
girl nearly passed out when she found her dress. Seeing herself in
the mirror in her wedding dress overwhelmed her and she just about
fainted.
What percentage of
women plan well in advance versus those who wing it at the last
minute?
It’s around 50-50.
Really? I’m
surprised that so many don’t plan far ahead. What’s the
shortest notice you’ve experienced?
One woman came in on a
Monday and said that she was getting married on Saturday. She and
her fiancée had been together a long time and were finally
getting married, and he insisted that she should get a dress. So
she picked one out, came in for two fittings, and within five days
we had her dress ready. Other times, people will say, “I’m
getting married next month.” It’s not that they’re ignoring
the planning so much as their weddings are spontaneous. Maybe they’re
going to the beach and decided to get married while they were
there, that sort of thing.
Do most brides know
what they want in terms of a dress?
A lot of them come in
with a certain thing in mind, but sometimes they’ll end up
saying, “Oh, I didn’t expect it to look like that on me.” We
keep all our stock out here on the floor so they’re not limited
to just what they had in mind or what we had in mind. They’re
free to look, touch, smell, whatever they want to do.
You also sell dresses
for proms and homecomings. Do you prefer to outfit girls for the
school dances or the weddings?
Both. What I really
enjoy about working at the store is seeing the look on someone’s
face when they’ve finally found the right dress. It’s a big
deal, especially with the weddings. It’s such a huge event that
you feel good when you’ve helped make that big day a little more
special for them.
It seems that prom
dresses are a lot more risqué today than say, 10 years ago. Have
you noticed that?
Yes. Two years ago,
there was a dress featured on the Today Show in a story about
risqué prom dresses and we actually sold one of those in our
store to a girl whose dad stood here and said, “That’s great.”
People have different tastes, but when it comes down to it, you’re
the one who’s wearing it, and if you’re comfortable in it,
that’s the important thing.
What have you learned
from working in this business?
I’ve learned
patience. That’s the big thing. Our customers are getting ready
for a major life event, and you have to really understand what
they’re going through and try to help them find what they’re
looking for.
Checkers
Boutique is online at www.checkersbridal.com.
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