July 26, 2017 at 5:22 p.m.
Alfred Angelo Bridal's bankruptcy rocks Rhinelander boutique
Alfred Angelo Bridal's bankruptcy rocks Rhinelander boutique
By Kayla Thomason-
Alfred Angelo Bridal, founded in 1933, shocked wedding parties, employees and bridal boutiques when it closed its stores without warning Thursday, July 13.
On July 14, the big-name bridal company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy - which means all operations have ceased and the company is liquidating its assets.
No ordered dresses are being sent out to brides or their bridal parties, everything is a standstill.
Mary Taylor, owner of Lund and Taylor Bridal Gallerie, was shocked by the news.
"If someone would've said to me two weeks ago AA was going out of business, I wouldn't have even believed it," she said. "We had no warning whatsoever."
Since the news broke, Taylor and her staff have been very busy notifying clients and trying to find alternate solutions for bridal parties.
"We are still scrambling trying to get dresses for these wedding parties and a few in the future that haven't ordered yet but were planning on ordering from Alfred Angelo and now have to go a different route," she said. "We have been contacting these brides, bridesmaids, or mothers of the bride or groom to make sure they are informed if they haven't heard the news."
The sudden closure has affected at least four of Taylor's bridal parties, she said. Alfred Angelo will not process their dress orders so thay have been forced to find new dresses in time for weddings that are just weeks away.
One of the brides whose Alfred Angelo dresses aren't coming in was able to find a sample at Lund and Taylor that came in her size.
"It was not her first choice of color, but she is OK with taking the sample with a discount," Taylor said.
For some of the weddings that are a little further out, other companies are easing fees for the bridal gallerie and clients.
"If they are longer than four weeks, we are getting (dresses) from other companies but we do have to rush them," Taylor said. "Some vendors are helping out by not charging us rush fees."
A mother-of-the-bride with another bridal party was also affected by the Alfred Angelo news, but the wedding date is further out so she will select another dress from a different line.
"Fortunately, most of the brides that we are working with are understanding and patient," Taylor said.
Brides from other galleries have been inquiring at Lund and Taylor to see if the dresses of their dreams can be found there.
"We are getting calls from other brides looking for dresses," Taylor said. "It is not really hurting us right now because we are getting the orders taken care of that we needed to. It is time consuming and we are losing a little bit of money because we have to scramble to get dresses and some of the new dresses are more expensive than their original dress and we are not charging them the difference."
Alfred Angelo made up approximately 70 percent of Lund and Taylor's sales, and the dresses that once hung on the rack have been marked down or moved.
All Alfred Angelo dresses in stock are being sold in the color and size available in the store. The bridesmaid dresses are 50 percent off and wedding dresses range from 25 to 50 percent off.
"We are already getting called for dresses that girls have ordered from other companies that they haven't received asking us if we have that certain dress they can buy from us off the rack," Taylor said.
Some of the bridesmaid dresses that are more prom-friendly have been moved to the prom section and dresses that look like they could be for a mother are in the mother's section. Taylor also plans to place any remaining Alfred Angelo dresses in her upcoming Redikulus Dae sale.
Now that Alfred Angelo is no more, Taylor needs to fill a gap in her inventory and she is already considering which new lines she'll bring in.
She is considering Bill Levkoff and plans to call them for samples as soon as possible.
"They've got good quality, they are a little more expensive but other bridal shops do well with them," she said. "Mori Lee is a little less (expensive) so the brides can pick. I do have to research them (Bill Levkoff) more to find out more details."
Come September, Taylor will go to market to see if there is another line she wants to carry, and which bridal company she'll pick for wedding dresses.
Dresses from the new line or lines will arrive at her store around Christmastime, she added.
While this Alfred Angelo crisis is a nightmare for brides and bridal boutiques, Taylor knows she wasn't hit as hard as larger businesses.
"It's unfortunate a company would do that but it's out of our hands and we're doing what we can to help other stores and our own bridal parties," she said. "A lot of other stores are in a lot bigger predicaments than we are and it could have been a lot worse for us."
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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