Storybook Beginnings: The Journey of Storybook Ending Bridals

Happy Wednesday, Storybook fam! To help you get over the mid-week slump, we thought we’d share the final installment of our “Storybook Beginnings” blog series! If you missed the previous blogs, be sure to check them out on our website to get caught up! From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for joining us on our journey over the last 34 years. Whether you’ve been one of our Storybook brides, a family member, friend, employee, or community member, we are so grateful for your encouragement, love, and support of our small business. These last three decades would not have been possible without all of you, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come in our journey ahead! Let’s keep making bridal dreams come true!  🤍

xoxo,

Crystal & the Storybook Team

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Part IV: The Storybook Legacy

Over the years, Crystal has been blessed to see her original vision come to fruition. When she first began to consider opening a bridal store back in 1986, she dreamed of being the best store in the area—the bridal shop that everyone would want to come to. Now, 34 incredible years later, Crystal has the joy of encountering brides every week who step through her doors saying, “I’ve always known I wanted to buy from Storybook!” When she first opened, there were eleven other local competitors; however, none of those original competitors remain in business today. As she reflects on her success compared to those who have had to close their doors, Crystal gives credit to God. “I think God really had His hand in our success. When there’s nobody that has been in business in the area as long as we have, I think He definitely has protected and blessed the business. Over the years, I’ve often prayed that He would bless us, and He definitely has.” 

Crystal also humbly attributes her success to hiring the right employees who could sell and serve their brides well. As highlighted in the previous blog, the decision to hire Myrna and Christi transformed the business and allowed each team member to excel in the areas they were gifted. Another pivotal moment was finding bridal lines that no other local stores carried. Early on, one of the biggest issues was that all of the area stores carried the same manufacturers and products. This, understandably, made it difficult for bridal stores to stand out amongst tough competition. In response to this obstacle, Crystal embarked on a journey to create private lines of bridal gowns that nobody else carried. She also shares that a shift in Storybook’s success occurred when they stopped elevating the manufacturer above their own store. Instead of saying, “Come shop at our store because we carry _________ (a certain designer)”, Crystal changed her team’s mentality to, “Come shop at our store because of who we are—because of our reputation.” She wanted to draw customers in based on Storybook’s excellent customer service, knowledge, quality of products, attention to detail, and genuine care for their brides. 

 

Throughout the last 34 years, the amazing success of A Storybook Ending has opened the door to incredible opportunities for Crystal and her team. The bridal store has won numerous awards, both from local publications and national designers, and they also have had several opportunities to showcase new design trends on the local TV show, Paula Sands Live. One of the most incredible opportunities has been through one of their primary designers, Justin Alexander. Storybook Bridals has been recognized by Justin as one of their premier bridal stores, and this honor has presented them with the special invitation to travel the world to be one of the first bridal stores to view Justin’s latest designs. Their travels have taken them to Rome, London, and Barcelona, and Crystal and Christi are looking forward to their upcoming trip to the UK’s Harrogate Bridal Market this spring as they have the privilege to view Justin’s upcoming gowns for fall 2024. 

 

After 34 years of hard work and dedication, Crystal and her employees are proud to be “the store everyone’s talking about.” Brides and their closest family and friends often travel from near and far to visit the store because of the positive reviews they have heard from others. Storybook has also had the unique honor of serving brides from generation to generation as women have passed down their experience with their own daughters. With a history of 34 years, Storybook has brides whose mothers also found their dream dresses there, making it a beautiful, beloved family tradition to shop at Storybook for gowns. As their long-standing success indicates, word-of-mouth is truly Storybook’s best advertisement, and Crystal and her employees consider it a joy and privilege to have had the opportunity to serve thousands of brides over the last three decades—and, don’t worry, they’re not done yet! As she looks toward the future, Crystal’s desire is that Storybook Ending’s legacy of excellence and care would prevail for years to come as they continue serving and helping brides fulfill their very own “storybook endings.” 

🤍The End🤍

 

Crystal & Christi touring London while there to view Justin Alexander’s designs

Christi & Crystal in Rome, Italy

Visiting Bruges, Belgium 

Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week

Showcasing the latest styles on Paula Sands Live! 

At Storybook Ending, our brides truly become family. It is our consultants’ joy to help find your dream dress!