An independent Perth dress shop is to close after more than a decade in the city.
At the end of March, George Street retailer Ivory Whites Bridesmaids will shut its doors.
The shop started as a bridal boutique, but since early 2020 specialises in bridesmaids outfits.
Owner Karyn McLeod said the pandemic led to a “significant reduction” in appointments.
Priding herself on high levels of service, she also found production delays difficult to deal with.
She assures customers that all current orders will be fulfilled.
A closing down sale, with dresses that retail for £300 being sold for just £30, will begin on Saturday.
Covid impact on Perth boutique
The award winning shop has been in George Street since 2009 and Karyn took over the business from a previous owner in 2014.
She said the pandemic has ruined her vision for a specialist bridesmaids shop.
“I thought it would be really niche – a great market to just do bridesmaids,” she said.
“There are a lot of bridal boutiques but not many that just do bridesmaids only boutiques.
“The whole point is to have a large groups of people in at one time and Covid did not help with that.
“When you’re not meant to have a lot of social contact is completely against brides bringing their mum, mother in law and five bridesmaids all into one shop to shop for dresses.”
Karyn said the pandemic meant issues with delivery times which she had found hard.
She spent this week phoning customers to assure them that she will fulfil their orders.
Finishing on a high
The decision to close has been fairly sudden. December had a strong month of trading.
However, the onset of the Omicron variant and subsequent cancellations was the final straw.
“I think the shop could work really well and maybe if I stuck it out for a few more months things would pick up,” Karyn said.
“But I just feel like I’ve been saying that for the last 18 months. I think we’ve turned a corner and then there’s another setback.
“The comments on my Facebook page have been so lovely – people saying they’ve had a great experience and that’s all I ever wanted.
“I want to finish on a high.”
Sale details
The shop is taking no more orders. Its closing down sale will begin on Saturday morning at 11am with all dresses priced at £30. Tops and skirts are £15.
Karyn is keen to stress she has one size and colour of each dress.
“It is the samples I have in the shop – around 80 dresses.
“I mainly have one of each dress – one colour and one size which is why they are £30. Most of them sell for £300 so it’s a huge discount.
“Also, I am not posting them out at the moment because I want people to come in, see the dress themselves and make sure they are happy.”
She also thanks customers for their business over the years.
“I’ve loved doing it and I’ve had an amazing few years.”
The business, which other than Karyn has one member of staff, will close on March 31.
