AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016
Austin Daily Herald
BUSINESS REVIEW Name of the business: Belles & Beaus Bridal and For mal Wear
customer service sets us apart from our competition. We also have an excellent in-house alteration department, which many other companies no longer have. I am very proud of all of the wonderful staff we have had the pleasure of working with over the years!
Owner(s) of the business: Marie Fryer Please provide a brief history of the company: We opened in 1996 on The Boardwalk a few doors down from The Paramount. We moved next door a year later, and moved to Main Street in 1999. One of my favorite memories is having models in the windows of Gretchen’s during Christmas in the City until we had our own windows on Main Street! We also had our first fashion shows in our tiny store on The Boardwalk! A wonderful high school string quartet even played during the shows! Vendors at our early shows included HyVee, Stutgard Tan & Travel and Younkers! This has definitely always been a family business! Everyone in our family has worked here at some point! Our daughters worked on the main floor and one did alterations. All of the kids and even my husband Frank modeled for us! Frank made all of the fitting rooms in all three stores!
SAVE THE DATE!
Austin Bridal Showcase Hormel Historic Home
Sunday, January 24 • Noon - 3 p.m.
What is your address? 3 1 1 M a i n S t re e t North, Austin. What is your website? www.bellesnbeaus. com
How many employees do you have? Depending on the time of year we employ 8-15 people part time. Our longest term employee has worked for us 16 years! Several of our employees have been here 8 years or more!
The Business Review is a weekly feature produced by the Austin Daily Herald advertising department. For more information, call 507-434-2225
Tell us a little about your business. What are your specialties? We are Austin’s premier bridal and formal wear boutique. Everything you need for your big day can be found at Belles & B e a u s. We c a rry a large selection of everything from wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses to prom dresses and tuxes and everything in between. We also of fer professional in-house alterations
What are your goals for the upcoming year? Our goal when opening was to provide a service for the community so people would not have to travel out of the area for bridal and formal wear needs. We do have a nice local customer base, so THANK YOU to the Austin, Lyle, Adams, LeRoy, Dexter and other surrounding communities! We are also proud that we bring in a lot of out of town business to Austin, especially from Albert Lea, Owatonna, Rochester and Iowa. These folks buy gas in Austin, and generally most of them also get a meal or do other shopping in Austin!
to give all of our customers the perfect fit on their perfect day. What are some of the new things your business is doing? What are you most proud to tell customers, and why? We are always looking for the best and most fashionable products for our customers! Our motto is “Only the Best!” We only carry top of the line and nationally
recognized brands of bridal party gowns, prom gowns, tuxedos and much more! One of our newest additions is the Allure Bridal Collection of wedding gowns. We hear the words “I can’t believe I found this in Austin” many times a year! What sets you apart from other companies and why? I believe our professional, friendly
Any other information that would be helpful to know? We have wedding gowns in stock from designers such as Maggie Sottero, Mori Lee, Alfred Angelo, and Allure. We also have a great variety of dresses for bridesmaids, flower girls and mothers, as well as a great selection of veils, jewelry, shoes and other accessories. We carry elegant prom and homecoming dresses from well known designers such as Mori Lee, Paparazzi, Alyce, BeDazzle, Alyce’s Private Collection and Blush. We keep track of what we sell to each school to make sure no one else in your school will get the same dress from our boutique.
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