A Conversation with Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the ShorE ON REOPENING

1. When DID YOU re-open the salon?

We opened May 20th.

2. What safety measures have you taken to ensure the protection of the customer and your employees?

Our main priority is the health and safety of our brides and our staff.  We are taking the guidelines from the State and have put safety protocols in place for appointments.

We are taking our procedures for disinfecting and safety very seriously. We have staff members with family that are immune compromised, and we also want to be sure that we remain healthy so that we can continue to serve our clients. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that you are able to have the wedding of your dreams! In order for that to happen, we all need to do our part to ensure the continued health and safety of our community.

3. Has limiting appointments helped or hindered your business?

Of course, we aren’t able to do the same volume, but we have not had to turn down appointments yet. People are slow to come out for appointments.  

4. We can’t imagine how brides are feeling during this pandemic, how has the bride reacted to this new way of shopping?

Everyone is being very kind and understanding as well as following the safety protocols. 

5. Will this change the way you do business in the future permanently?

We will offer virtual appointments options going forward. It is helpful as a first step for out of state brides before they make the trip. We are also going to try to incorporate virtual appointments for maids to try to get our maids volume back up. It continues to drop because of online options. 

6. What important message do you want to say to your brides?

We want them to know that we are doing our best to keep them and ourselves safe. It is imperative that they full research the stores that they want to visit before they do so. This will cut down on the number of appointments that they have. It is not safe for them to continue to visit 4-5 stores. If they vet the store via social media and their website and have a virtual appointments or phone consult before going in, it should help them to narrow the stores that they want to visit.