Our Interview for the She Who Dares Podcast
Thank you to Brandee Garr of the, She Who Dares Podcast, for allowing us to share our story!
Brandy: What’s up podcast world? Today you're listening to episode number 3 of the She Who Dares Podcast. This is my first guest interview and I could not be more excited to introduce you to Roberta and Tali of The Bridal Finery. These two women know customer service and their brand is built around creating an unparalleled guest experience. I’ve worked with Roberta and tali for about 7 years now and it has been so fun to watch them open their own salon, and establish themselves as a leader in our market for couture and designer gowns. I can't wait for you to get to know them and here how they launched their own salon in only 8 weeks! So, let's get to it!
Brandee: When I went through who I wanted to be on the podcast I made a list and you guys were at the top. I kept thinking, who do I admire in the industry and what other females are out there killing it, and you guys really are doing such an amazing job. I love watching you grow and your salon start up. So, tell me a little bit about yourself!
Tali: So, I'll start, I’m Tali and I am one of the owners of The Bridal Finery. Roberta and I actually started working together about 9 years ago. I was recruited in bridal about 15 years ago and then a few years in, I recruited Roberta. She was actually visiting with one of my clients, and I was like,“This girl is amazing, I have to work with her.” So, I brought her on to the bridal boutique that I was working at, at the time. Now, here we are 9 years later!
Brandee: So, Roberta, what were you doing, why were you in the salon?
Roberta: I was the first one in my group of friends to get married and when everyone started to get engaged they all reached out to me to go bridal dress shopping with them. I would always bring them to the same boutique because we would get great service and good selection of dresses, and I just liked being there. We were just there shopping, and every time I went in it just so happened that Tali was working. When Tali first approached me to send in my resume, I remember going home and telling my husband and I was like, “No, this is not for me. It's too girly.” My husband said “ No, you're driving me crazy you need to go back to work, do it!” and I took the job in the mindset of, “I'll be here for a year until I find a real job, until I find something that I want to do with the rest of my life”, and 9 years later we are here, 2 years into our own boutique. So, it is kinda crazy how it just worked itself out.
Brandee: I love the customer service level that you guys had even at your old boutique. It was always something I knew my brides would experience and not only find a dress there, not necessarily because you carried every dress line, but because you would make them feel so warm and welcome. And it was just such an experience for them, so I always admired that about you guys. So, tell me a little bit about how you came up with concept like how you even started to think about The Bridal Finery?
Tali: So, the company we were working for, we always joked and said we would be there until we were old and grey and could barely move. We had no plans of leaving, but it was sold. I approached Roberta and said “let’s go have dinner, we need to talk. I have this idea, the market is ready for it, I think Orlando brides need it, and it’s something that’s not available.” So, The Bridal Finery is an off-the-rack boutique. We work with designers, we work with some high end boutiques around the country and they basically send us their sample gowns. So, imagine if Carolina Herrera had one sample location where you go and you find amazing deals and high quality dresses, that's what we focus on. And for us, it was really important because we didn't have $200,000 sitting around to buy inventory.
Brandee: That is intriguing because I had always wondered how you filled you're store up so quickly.
Roberta: It was years of relationship building.
Tali: That really did help, and especially because we literally signed our lease and had two dresses in our house. So, we just got on the phone with designers and boutiques and just worked on getting gowns in. One of the designers sent us 28 dresses, and then after that I was like “Okay, this is going to work.” Then I would call the next designer and say “This person sent us 28 dresses what can you send in?” and it is amazing, the support we received.
Brandee: So, did you create the concept? It doesn’t exist really outside The Bridal Finery, or maybe in remote areas?
Tali: The concept is around, we don't really see it too much in Florida, but there is another boutique in South Florida that we are friends with and they do a lot more consignment with brides, which we did a little bit of that in the beginning, but it made more sense for us to work with the designers and boutiques because we had those contacts. So, we really are unique to the Florida area.
Roberta: There are other boutiques that have something similar, but not to the extent of the partnerships that we have throughout the country. But there are really not a lot [of other boutiques that have this similar concept]. I think a lot of boutiques just tend to work with other boutiques and not necessarily with the designer directly. I think that is what made the store unique and us being able to find even the unique pieces, being able to find that one of a kind runway piece that was never reproduced. That is due to the partnerships we have with the designers, more so than the partnerships with the stores. With the stores its great because we are getting sizes and variety, but with the designers we get more of the unique factor. So, we only have one of every dress.
Brandee: So, if somebody comes in [and doesn't buy the dress] if they come back two weeks later, it is very possible that it is gone?
Roberta: It’s gone, it has happened [where the dress is gone] the next day.
Brandee: And this is not something you have to deal with at a typical bridal salon?
Tali: Yes, and I think the big thing that makes us different is we still have that experience, we have those 15 years. We didn't want the experience to be changed because it was off-the-rack. Just because you're not paying retail, we didn't want the experience to be any different. So, we really maintained that level of service and even continued to grow that service.
Brandee: I just love the concept so much, and I think one of the biggest misconceptions that we have talked about is that you don’t need to be in need of a dress in the next couple weeks to shop at you're salon. A lot of you're brides are shopping further out because you carry unique, one of a kind designs. So, it's not necessarily that they just need something quickly, it's that it is unique.
Roberta: Also from the brides standpoint, most of them are doing many things at a time. They are professionals, some are moms already, some are pregnant, and a lot of our brides are buying homes, changing jobs, and switching states. For them, regardless of if the wedding is in five days or ten months or two years, they just want to check this off their list and not have to worry about the dress coming in, what day it's coming in, if the dress will be right, will the changes they are making be done properly. They want the process to be stress free, and I think that is what we are providing at the boutique, is a process from start to finish. They do not have to worry about remembering to call and book their fitting appointment. We take care of that. We remind our brides, when they buy their dress, we book their fitting even if it is a year out, it's easy. We can always move it but we really try and take that worry out of our brides and be able to make the process as easy as possible . There are just so many other decisions they are going to be making.
Brandee: That is one of the reasons we send so many of our brides to you so often is because they do have that experience. And that's really what it is all about, to create that bridal gown shopping experience. So, tell me what you're husbands said? Obviously you both had a pretty stable, nice job that you had been at for a long time and all of a sudden you decide to open your own store.
Roberta: So, for me it was definitely the case that my husband thought that maybe I was working too hard for someone else, so he always had the mindset that we should work for ourselves regardless of what we did. We didn't know financially how we were going to do it because we just weren't at the place where we had been planning this for two years, saving for it for two years, and trying to figure out financially how we were going to do it. I freaked out more than he did, and I definitely had that moment where I picked up the phone and called Tali and told her I was out. My husband was the one who really helped me off the ledge. So he was and is a great support of this journey.
Brandee: So, Tali, what about you?
Tali: My husband is just crazy. He owns a small, local beer and wine bar so he already went through his entrepreneurship journey and he just told me to do it. And I was like, “We don’t have any money, we just had a baby five days ago, how?” He told me that we will find the money and to ask people because there is always money available. I said, “What do you mean? I am not going to ask my parents” ,and he said to ask everyone. He said there would be someone who would give us money. So, I just started asking around and people were able to help a little bit and then I did a personal loan and then we did a home equity loan.
Brandee: I love that both you're husbands were fully on board. You did not have to talk them into it. How did you come up with your name?
Tali: For us, we were in a time frame. We were not going to get into crazy debt and then wait 6 months to a year to open the place. I knew I wanted people to know immediately what it is but still ask questions so i felt that “bridal’ was really important to have in the name from an SEO end and just knowing that it is bridal. “Finery” represents quality, and that's super important for us to maintain, the level of quality of service and everything that we do is what we have been taught over the years in bridal. Plus, “finery” is just a traditional word for clothing, which I loved as well because as much as times are changing, bridal still has that beautiful, traditional aspect to it.
Brandee: So what do you think was you're biggest obstacle during those days right when you opened?
Roberta: For me, it was the financial side of it. I came out of a super stable job with great income. A little backstory: my husband had just come out of a work related injury, he hadn't been working for a year and a half. So the financial strain of our family was on me and I was just figuring out how to make it when I only had enough money to make it through four months, and we were two months into it. So, if the store did not generate money in the next two months then I did not know what I was gonna do. I had already asked people for money and I was already in debt.
Brandee: You guys compared yourselves to Nordstrom Rack, and I remember thinking that it makes so much sense. You have these amazing designer pieces that for whatever reason did not make it into the stores. So, what is some advice you would give to a female business owner or someone even just thinking about starting a business?
Tali: I think in our experience the support system is a big deal. Find that support system and run it through them and as long as everyone isn’t saying you're idea is horrible and crazy then my biggest piece of advice is to just go, just do it. Put pen to paper. I see so many people taking months with just the name of their business, just put it on the calendar and stick to it. I think it is also important to share your journey because that is how you gain followers and supporters.
Brandee: Both of you have kids, and I know Tali had a five day old baby when, The Bridal Finery, was conceived. Roberta has two girls, and one is a teenager. So how do you feel you balance being a business owner with being a wife and a mom?
Roberta: It is an inner struggle. You have so many different babies. You have your kids, you have your husband, and you have this brand new business. I don’t think I will ever find that perfect “life/work balance”. I don't know if it exists or if it is just something people talk about.
Brandee: If you were not bridal salon owners, what other professions what you have tried?
Roberta: Before getting into bridal I did property management for years, so I think that would have taken off and I had already started to go to school for real estate,so, I would have just continued on that path.
Tali: I have been so happy in this world for so long.I did go to school for international business and thought I was going to save the world, so now that is my baby’s responsibility, no pressure to him. But I love food, I love styling food, so made a food photographer.
Brandee: What is one thing you try to fit into your day everyday?
Roberta: For me it is getting to the gym, I have to. My mental health benefits from it, and I need to have a cup of coffee.
Tali: Mine is taking my vitamins, and I go to the gym twice a week for 30 minutes.
To listen to the She Who Dares podcast click here!
Here’s a photo of Tali and Roberta with Brandee Gaar after they recorded their podcast!
