The founder of a bridal company said the opening of a shop in Harrogate will honour a family link to the town dating back many years.
Joanne Wilson founded Elite Bridal almost 20 years ago in Hull, before expanding to Brighouse, Hessle and Castleford.
As the company grew, it became a family enterprise: husband Richard, daughter Holly-Ann, and sons Joshua and Ben all have roles in its boutiques, outlets and international wholesale trade.
Putting the finishing touches to the new boutique on West Park today, before its opening tomorrow, Joanne said:
“For years, I used to come here with my mum and my daughter. My mum just loved Harrogate – any special day, we came to Harrogate. I lost my mum three years ago.
“Richard and I came to Harrogate one day and saw the shop and I said, ‘that’s my shop’. It was up for rent and we contacted the agent immediately and they said, ‘do you want to look around?’
“I said, ‘you can show me round later, but we’re having it’.”
The Wilson family
She described the former Orvis store as the “perfect” location, offering views of the Stray, as well as options for brides and their friends and families to enjoy lunch or drinks nearby after finding their dream dress.
Many weeks of hard work have gone into transforming the shop and it is now completely unrecognisable.
A lounge area with cosy sofas and a fireplace sits next to the bar, offering drinks to visitors. As well as long rails of bridal gowns, there are three private suites for brides to try on the dresses and their closest friends and family members to help them make that final choice.
A comfy lounge for visitors
The range of gowns at Elite is designed by Joanne and Holly-Ann, meaning brides can choose one from the existing range, or ask for exactly what they want. She said:
“Sometimes when you go into a bridal store, you can only buy what they sell. I can design anything for you. You can have something really bespoke.”
However, Joanne is keen to ensure the business is not just for those with the biggest budgets: off-the-peg options start from around £300.
Whatever the cost of the dress, she knows the experience of finding the right one is just as important to many brides. The team at the Harrogate boutique will be offering VIP appointments, complete with bubbly, cake and a goody bag to take away, to ensure it’s a memorable occasion.
The boutique has three suites for brides to try on their gowns while friends relax
The bridal advisors have a trained eye to understand what will suit different body shapes and find something from the range in the shop.
With sizes six to 26 catered for by Elite, and a warehouse of 11,000 gowns to choose from alongside the option of a bespoke design, Joanne is confident the boutique will prove a hit with customers – just as it has with potential employees.
“I’ve been inundated with ladies asking me for a job. A bridal shop is a nice job to have.”
Read more:
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Bridal company to open boutique on Harrogate’s West Park
A new bridal shop is set to open on West Park as a Yorkshire business expands into Harrogate.
Elite Bridal is run by mother-and-daughter duo Joanne and Holly-Ann Wilson and already has boutiques in Brighouse and Hessle, as well as outlets in Castleford and Hull.
The new Harrogate boutique is expected to open in the former Orvis unit in the coming weeks.
Holly-Ann, the company’s retail director, told the Stray Ferret:
“We often visit Harrogate for weekends away: a little trip to Bettys for afternoon tea and a stroll round the town, but our love for Harrogate started many years ago when I was a little girl.
“My mum Joanne would take me to the bridal exhibition twice a year where we would do our buying for the year ahead. Over the last 10 years we have moved towards designing our own collections in house in Yorkshire and overseas and we now proudly exhibit as a wholesaler at the shows rather than visiting for trade.
“We have expanded our business in the last five years and doubled in size and Harrogate was one of our desired locations. When Joanne saw it, she knew it was hers. Destiny had arrived and now it’s finally happening.”
One of Elite Bridal’s other boutiques
Holly said she and chief executive Joanne focus on having thousands of designs available in their boutiques, with a range of sizes for brides to try on rather than just samples.
They plan to offer a luxury experience in the boutique, from selecting the right gown to having designs and alterations completed in-house.
The company, founded in 2003, will create up to four part-time and full-time jobs at the new Harrogate store.
Read more:
- Harrogate country sports shop Orvis set to close
- Developer withdraws former Harrogate Orvis store flats plan
Sequins: What’s hot in the district’s fashion boutiques as party season kicks off
With Christmas just one month away, many of us are starting to think about our looks for the party season, as well as special gifts to buy or our loved ones.
Fortunately in the Harrogate district we are blessed with some fabulous independent fashion boutiques.
We asked four business owners what was currently flying off the shelves as we approach the big day.
Infinity & Co boutique, Harrogate
Sam Gallagher, owner of Infinity & Co boutique, which has just launched its newly-refurbished store at the Victoria Shopping Centre, said the key word for Christmas was “sequins – and lots of them!”
She said:
“We have trousers, tops, blouses, dresses and jackets in and they are so popular. They can be worn dressed up but it’s also fun to wear them casually too. We have them in lots of metallic shades of gold, champagne, copper black and rose gold, along with some brights too.
“We have also been selling chunky oversized cardigans to wear with boots and PU (synthetic leather) joggers, ideal for walking around a Christmas market.
“Colours this season are lots of neutrals of camel, winter white and black and for the bright colours we have had a strong reaction to raspberry, teal, emerald and cobalt.”
Porters, Harrogate
Andy Shuttleworth, manager of Porters, on James Street, said shirts and dresses were selling fast ahead of the party season.
He said:
“We have got a great selection of occasion shirts and party dresses. They are always very popular this time of year.
“Accessories, which can be bought for gifts and stocking fillers, like socks and underwear, are popular too.
“Brands people particularly like at the moment are Traffic People, which does wonderful party dresses, and shirts from Guide London and Claudio Lugli.
“The trend is currently ‘glitz’ and the shirts are bright and bold – ready for the party season.”
Fennec & Darwin, Harrogate
Aideen Fox, owner of Fennec & Darwin, on Montpellier Mews, said accessories to help you keep warm were currently proving the most popular.
She said:
“I’m finding gift items, such as my slippers and scarves which retail for £19.99, have been my top-sellers on the run-up to Christmas.
“Especially with energy prices going up so much, it’s important to keep warm.”
Read more:
- Time to sparkle: Your guide to Christmas lights switch-ons across the district
- Luxury Harrogate food hall opens pop-up shop in Leeds
Wild Thing boutique, Knaresborough
Dianne Houghton, owner of Wild Thing boutique on Knaresborough’s High Street, said it was currently all about the sparkle.
She said:
“Sparkling dresses are popular at the moment, but they are not just for Christmas. You can make outfits sparkle by accessorising jewellery and layering-up, but still being comfortable.”