High End Bridal and Attending to the Details with Claire Landgraf
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of Rochester entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Claire Landgraf, owner of Finery Bridal Chic, a high end bridal shop, who was willing to share her story with us.
Photo by Twelve Ten Photography
Many of us are all too familiar with that stress inducing, all important wedding planning event- the selection of the dress. A bride entering Finery Bridal Chic will walk through their Broadway store doors and be greeted immediately by smiling faces and dazzling light glistening off of jewels and sequins, shining through lace and chiffon, and illuminating rows upon rows of immaculate gowns, any of which could be the one. Tailed by carefully selected friends and family, they are ushered onto sets of plush, velvet couches and into the guiding, helpful hands of Claire Landgraf and her team.
Photo by Twelve Ten Photography
Claire entered the bridal industry in her hometown in Tennessee at an early age, seeking a job in high school. For her, it was love at first sight.
“I went into a shop looking for a prom dress and while I was looking my mom started chatting with the owner, who mentioned that she was looking for some part time help. I had never had a job before and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I started right then during prom season and eventually she let me work up to selling bridal. It was like I was bitten by a bug. It was immediately so fun, artistic, and satisfying. Just like that, as a junior in high school, I knew that this was what I wanted to do and eventually branch off to have my own store.”
Years passed and Claire stuck to that resolute high school dream. In college she pursued dual degrees in business and english, all the while continuing to grow in the industry. She started off selling, moved up to management, became a shop-in-shop representative for a designer, and then worked as a dress buyer.
“I’ve been in the wedding industry for about fifteen years now and it's really where my heart is. We joke that it’s like joining the mob or the mafia, because once you get into it, you never really get out. It gets into your blood. There’s something very rewarding about working with brides and in such a happy space. There are so many opportunities in this industry to make a bride feel great, to have a positive impact on their body image, and help them plan aesthetically what they’re trying to create on their big day.”
In 2011, Claire moved to Rochester. Creatively burnt out from years in retail and only intending to be in Rochester for five years, Claire made a change and worked briefly in marketing. But when she began falling for Rochester and met her husband, she began thinking more seriously about her longtime dream of opening her own store.
“In a lot of ways Rochester reminded me of the town I grew up in, in terms of size, having an employment pillar like Mayo Clinic, and providing a great community for businesses to thrive and also for raising a family.”
Though she knew the ins and outs of the industry, opening her own business had its challenges.
“Finding a space was more challenging than I expected it to be. I knew it needed to be at least somewhat visible, either with drive by or foot traffic, which is why I chose downtown for my first location. Downtown rent was expensive and it took me a while to figure out a location. Dialing in designers that I wanted to carry was also a challenge. Which isn’t specific to me and my store, it's just something you have to tackle when you’re getting into the bridal business. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just picking up designers that were available, but also filled the design, service, and customization gaps that I was looking for.”
Now located at 1104 North Broadway, Claire has created a beautiful, welcoming space full of incredible gowns. But the space and the product aren’t the key to a successful high-end retail business, Claire points out, but the experience and service that you’re providing to each and every bride is.
“Over the course of my time working in bridal I worked both ends of the spectrum, from selling to brides on a $1,000 budget, all the way to brides buying $20,000 gowns. There’s a really vast difference in the level of service that a bride gets at a certain price threshold. It never made sense to me why a bride spending less money wouldn’t get the same high end experience as a bride spending more, but unfortunately it just isn’t usually the case.”
At Finery Bridal, Claire takes the extra time, energy, and money to attend to the details, whether that be a gift box with earrings and champagne or taking the time to walk brides through sizing and customizations. She enjoys the opportunity to tailor a unique and enjoyable experience to each and every bride.
“We have an awesome opportunity to be problem solvers here. Some brides come in unsure of how this works, had a poor experience elsewhere, or are having a difficult time finding something. We can be very versatile here with customizations and cater a lot of things to specific brides. Hokey as it sounds, we really can make a dream a reality. Brides often have an image of how they want to look on their big day. And whether that fits into a neat little box or six boxes, we can help them achieve that image.”
Photo by Twelve Ten Photography
She continued, “It takes time to teach your employees how to provide excellent service. It also takes time to figure out what little things brides appreciate during their experience. This oftentimes is the most expensive clothing item that anyone is ever going to purchase, and typically only once. People want to get it right, so there’s a lot of stress tied up in finding their gown. Of course I can’t always provide the perfect dress, not everyone is going to find it here. But what I can provide is a two hour experience for any bride who walks in, where they have a safe space where they can be heard and supported.”
Claire has found challenges in the industry as she pursues owning a shop that is inclusive towards brides of all sizes.
“I find myself having the same conversations with brides now as I did when I was first starting out. Most clothing in our culture has shifted to vanity sizing and more inclusivity toward all bodies. The bridal industry unfortunately has not done so and is still operating off of European size charts which can put a bride in a gown that is anywhere from one to three number sizes larger than they would typically wear if they picked it off the rack at a store. That can be a difficult mental hurdle to get past. We can say all day long that a number doesn’t matter, but at the end of the day there’s so much noise coming at us as women about what the confines of traditional beauty constructs are supposed to be. While we may have done fantastic amounts of work or therapy to balance out that barrage of noise, often it’s still there to some extent.”
She continued, “While there’s still a huge void in the market for size inclusivity, I’ve started seeing more offerings for curvy brides. I’m super happy that we offer two different lines here that are curvy specific, that are geared toward showing off curves, hugging curves, and fitting curves properly, instead of putting a tent over a body which is what dresses for larger bodies used to be. There are strides that are being made in the industry, slowly, very painfully slowly.”
“The conversation we have with every bride is the same, ‘You’re going to see a number today that you typically haven’t seen. I don’t want you to worry about it, because what we’re worried about today is giving you the right fit, whatever that means, the number doesn’t matter. We just need to make sure that when you walk down the aisle you’re comfortable, supported, and that you feel good about yourself.’ We’ve taken that angle here, because the industry has not quite caught up. I think as shop owners we have to decide if we’re going to make this a part of the conversation. And if yes, decide how we are going to do so in such a way that is really positive and let people know that regardless of size, shape, color, gender, or religious affiliation that this is a safe, welcome space and that we can make this experience work for anyone.” she concluded.
With one little girl and another on the way, Claire is busy with motherhood as well as business. She jokes that many of her hobbies include coloring, doing puzzles, and going to gymnastics practice. Pre-Covid and in less busy times, she and her husband enjoy live music, travel, and biking. They also love eating out at Bleu Duck, Cameo, and the Redwood Room.
Claire is very grateful to find joy in her work, “I wish I had more fun hobbies to mention, but I really love doing what I do so much. It gives me such a perfect outlet for my creative needs. It’s really really fulfilling for me and I love it.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Claire’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also learn more about Finery Bridal Chic by clicking the link below!
Finery Bridal Chic
Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Community at Collider.
