Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Bowers-Schebal.
Hi Penny, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started a bridal business shortly before my 5oth birthday. At a time when others are slowing down their career, I decided to put mine on hyper speed!
The bridal gown industry had two choices: pay thousands for a gown or buy a sketchy online purchase for a couple of hundred dollars. There was a glaring hole in between those two options. That’s where I wanted to fit.
So, Formality Bridal was born.
My years spent as a national accounts manager at Progressive Insurance had taught me the skills needed to quickly establish meaningful relationships with brides, which helped to earn their trust, and my marketing and distribution education came in to play to help strategically source the gowns.
My first storefront was about 1200 square feet. I knew we had outgrown our darling boutique, but Covid prompted us to stay an extra year as we waited to see the outcome of the pandemic. (And by the way, we never took a nickel of federal or state aid available to small businesses during that time. We had built a strong foundation that held us up and got us through.)
We are now located in an old historic church in Geneva, Ohio, that we purchased and repurposed to house our Formality Bridal location. We currently have 5 employees. But we’re growing!!! We recently signed a lease to open our second location in Erie, PA.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have certainly been challenges: clearly Covid was one of them. But I wasn’t alone in that challenge, so I don’t think it’s fair that I use it as an excuse.
As you know, we’re big fans of Formality Bridal. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Formality Bridal is a solution for savvy brides who want good quality bridal gowns for less money but still want the experience of trying on gowns to make sure that they look and feel their best. After all, a gown is the single most important garment that they will wear. It will also be the most photographed. Clearly, it is important. But IMPORTANT doesn’t have to translate to EXPENSIVE.
We’re different. And that’s good.
Look: We don’t look like a traditional bridal store. We don’t have rows of tiny closet-sized dressing rooms. We have dressing suites, and we have a party room for the bride who wants to make finding her gown an event! Each bride is different, so we offer several types of appointments to accommodate her.
Pricing: Our pricing is transparent. Most places don’t tell you the price of a gown on their website. We do. We also photograph the real dress on mannequins. We don’t use stock images of super-thin models. And they are all $999 and under.
Experience: A trained consultant is assigned to work with you during the gown selection process. They aren’t cashiers… they are highly trained employees who understand body types to help a bride look her best and are your dedicated advocate.
Selection: The average store carries between 100 and 125 gowns and mostly in what the industry calls “sample sizes.” That’s a problem in bridal. You have to imagine what a gown might look like on your body in your size. Yeah…that’s not how we do it. We carry over 400 and offer sizes 4 to 30.
We just celebrated our 6th year in business, and what started as a nugget of an idea has now grown into expanding into Pennsylvania, where we’ll be opening our next location late fall 2023! No wonder brides drive hours or fly to us.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
When I think of running a business, I think about two pieces of information from my parents. My dad told me early on to listen to the business. He was right. The business guides you if you just listen. For instance, when we first opened, we offered black cocktail gowns that I originally thought would be a great addition to bridal gowns. It wasn’t. Lesson learned. And when Covid happened, it forced us to pivot by focusing on our website, which is an important part of how brides find us.
Listening to your business is paramount to success.
My mom, on the other hand, told me early on that you eat an elephant “one bite at a time.” To me, when I am in a state of overwhelm, I think of that quote, and I simply make progress. It reminds me that small individual steps eventually lead to the destination or lead you to your goal. The first bite is the hardest. Eventually you will finish.
Success is often the result of “one bite at a time.”
Pricing:
- All Gowns $999 and under
Contact Info:
- Website: FormalityBridal.com
- Instagram: @formalitybridal
- Facebook: FormalityBridal
Image Credits
Amanda Rose Photography
