This has been a year. Can we all agree that 2020 was hard and 2021 hasn’t really changed much, yet. Life is still challenging and we are all still trying to make sense of a very complex global pandemic. We sat down last October to have a heart to heart with Stephani on what it has been like to watch so many brides go through the torturous process of postponing their weddings several times, as well as try to keep a small business afloat during one of the worst times we have gone through in current times, globally.
Stephani has managed to keep the doors open, her staff working, stored over 500 dresses of postponed weddings and still managed to keep hope alive during a time when there was little hope to be found.
Time Stamps:
3:00 Where does the passion come from to help so many?
5:00 Why do you invest in an HR department?
7:00 Why do you not have commissioned based sales?
9:30 You are holding hundreds of dresses (postponed weddings from COVID) without charging a storage fee… why?
11:00 We had to build storage to accommodate all the extra dresses and it is such a visual reminder of the magnitude of what has happened.
13:00 The store had a wedding before the shutdown in March 2020.
16:30 What has been the most difficult part?
18:15 What is it in you that keeps driving you?
21:00 A cool piece of history about the new location and fun fact.
24:30 What is your favorite part about the store?
26:30 The heart of the business.
28:45 Alterations location next door.
31:00 Plus size wedding dress selection is one of the largest around.
33:35 What is it about this business that you love the most?
35:30 Stephani reminisces about past brides
38:15 Helping a bride that had cancer.
Thank you for spending time with us today, getting a behind the scenes peak into the heart of our business and the heart of Stephani. This has been one of the most challenging years and also some of the most amazing moments. We really are resilient and love does always win.
We hope this inspires you and gives you hope that when you are purchasing your dress from Janene’s Bridal, you are with people who really care and will go that extra mile when things unexpectedly happen. Those of you that have had to postpone or cancel your wedding, our hearts go out to you. This has been such an unpredictable time and we are all doing our best to get through the uncertainty with grace.
Love isn’t cancelled, even in this time.
xo
