When I think back to “my” beginning at The Bridal Suite, I put myself at about the age of 4 hunting for treasures in the fallen beads and pearls that lay hidden beneath the gowns at the Patchogue store. Patchogue was the 1st operation, started by my parents and opening in 1963, before I was born. By 1967 my parents had proven their success in the bridal industry, and opened their 2nd location in Bay Shore . Not long after this, Bridal Suite became a 10 franchise operation, with stores in Patchogue; Bay Shore; Massapequa; Stony Brook; Huntington Station; Centereach; Stony Brook; Lake Grove; Flushing; and Fort Lee, NJ. The franchise was a one stop bridal salon. It was one store for all your bridal needs. Invitations, entertainment, photography, limousines, flowers, tuxedos, catering… they (we) did it all. My parents originated this concept on Long Island . I remember the many fashion shows with all the stores together at the Colonie Inn. My part here was small but exciting. I was 5 years old modeling flower girl dresses, while my 8 year old partner, Shane, modeled his tuxedo. I clearly remember the commentators and the craziness in the back room when it came time to change into the next gown. Off with one dress, on with the next! By 1973, when I was 7, I often spent time at work with my mom in the Bay Shore store. The back room was closed off by a curtain that the sole seamstress probably whipped up. My mother conducted her business with the customers while I conducted my own business of keeping busy organizing, filing, cleaning, doing whatever I could to fill the days, all behind the curtain. I liked it. It wasn’t long after that I graduated to “errand” girl, heading to the bank in town, the coffee shop, or the local stationary on the corner. Once in awhile, mom would reward me and we would go shopping together, in town to buy shoes. There were 3 shoe stores in Bay Shore at the time. Bay Shore was my main gig. And though I was permitted to emerge from that back room more frequently, I still felt safest behind the curtain. Up to the time I went to college and during my summer’s home, I spent time working in 4 of the 10 stores. Three of which my parents owned, and another owned by my uncle. By 1979, the Patchogue store was sold, and my mother retained Bay Shore . By 1982, the franchise rights were all bought out and the franchise dissolved, with each store operating independently. In writing, now, I get emotional because I never really reflected on how much Bridal Suite was my life. Now, every once in a while I dial the telephone numbers that are committed to my memory without looking up the phone numbers to the Huntington Store or the Massapequa store, (which now operates as “Bridal Reflections.”) These stores have no affiliation with the Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, other than the fact that they were of the Bridal Suite Franchise, once upon a time. The phone numbers from yesteryear are stamped in my brain like the memory of the 1st time I rode a 2 wheeler. Today I own the Bay Shore store with my mother. We sell gowns and accessories to the gowns. We have prom, mom, 15, 16, bridesmaids, flower girls, brides, attendants. I think that having a specialty and focusing on one special area gives our customers the advantage of our expertise. The other elements have not been stricken from our knowledge, so we are able to advise. As demanding as this business is, we have yet to stumble upon something that we cannot handle when it comes to the gown. This may be an epiphany of sorts for me. I just do my job. I put every ounce of myself into offering whatever I have. I realize now that all of the years all of the experiences have made what we “have” something that cannot be duplicated. As pioneers in the bridal industry on Long Island in 1963, we are now able to guide (and often counsel) our customers just by evolving.
