"We
came at 10 a.m. and left at 5 p.m.," says
Little Rock resident Barbara Hoover.
In matter of hours Barbara had bought
a wedding dress, veil, 12 bridesmaid
dresses with shoes and gloves, three
flower girl dresses, and a rehearsal
dinner dress for her daughter's wedding.
Amazingly, there was no caravanning
from store to store. The bridal party
found everything they needed at one
place-Low's Bridal and Formal.
"We
had been to Dallas, Neiman Marcus
and Stanley Korshak-but Dorcas has
them all," says Barbara.
Dorcas
Prince, who owns the Brinkley, Arkansas,
showroom with her husband, Stanley,
does have them all-strapless, A-line,
sleeveless, beaded, lacy, and any
size and shade of white. Low's has
the biggest inventory of wedding
dresses in the South and one of the
three largest in the United States.
Just
an hour drive from Little Rock or
Memphis, Low's could outfit all of
the some 4,0000 Brinkley residents
in silk, organza, or satin. There
are no signs on I-40 directing you,
but everyone in town can point you
to it. "Most everybody hears
about us by word of mouth," says
Dorcas, "It's always 'my sister,'
'my best friend,' or sometimes 'my
mother bought her dress here.'"
Dorcas's
mother first opened Low's above a
local pharmacy 25 years ago, and
then expanded into the Western Auto
next door. After
Dorcas and Stanley took over the
business, they moved it into the
town's old railroad hotel, a grandiose,
three story, 1915 structure near
downtown.
With
the building's high ceilings, heavy
chandeliers, and original reception
desk, stepping inside this world
of bridal, prom, and ball gowns is
like entering another time. Refreshments
are set out in the lobby among shelves
of champagne
flutes, unity
candles, ring pillows, guest books,
cake servers, and wedding planners.
In the next room, dresses hang like
bags of white cotton candy.
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All
dresses on the first floor cost less
than $1,000. Upstairs, rooms hold
couture dresses that cost up to $6,000,
plus veils, gloves, and glass jewelry
cases full of drop earrings and sparkling
tiaras. Low's sells more than 5,000
wedding gowns a year and more than
4,000 bridesmaid dresses. All are
custom-made, and even if you are
6'5", a size 0, or a size 22,
Low's can fit you.
A
group of wonderfully calm and good-natured
saleswomen steer brides through the
hundreds of choices. While making
an appointment isn't necessary, it's
recommended, especially during the
store's biggest event, December 26
through January 16. For two weeks,
more than 2,500 dresses are marked
down by half or more. "During
the sale you can get a $3,000 dress
for about $499," says Dorcas.
Booking an appointment weeks ahead
is key. During the sale there are
as many as 120 appointments on any
given Saturday. After the sale, which
clears out about half of the inventory,
the remaining sale dresses are available
on Saturdays only.
Most
of the brides come from the surrounding
states, but Low's has dresses some
from as far away as New York and
New Zealand. To a bride, it doesn't
matter how far you have to go when
you know you will find the dress
of your dreams.
Southern
Living
Article by Stacy
Kunstel
December 2000
pages 28-29
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