Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Silva and Dawn Silva Rigney.
Amber and Dawn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We originally began as wedding planners nine years ago. While helping brides through the wedding process, we saw the need for a couture bridal salon in the East San Francisco Bay Area. In 2013, we opened our first salon in Walnut Creek and have had such an incredible time serving our Bay Area brides. After talking with Southern California brides who were coming to see us in the Bay Area, we discovered that there was a level of service missing among multi-brand bridal boutiques in the LA area, and that was the start of our newest addition, Kinsley James Los Angeles. Our dedicated team and amazing brides have made KJLA possible!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles are par for the course when opening a business. It took us about a year to find the perfect location for Kinsley James Los Angeles. The space search is similar to a home search; sometimes you think you found the one, go through all the steps, get your hopes up, and then it falls through! Once we did find the perfect location, construction was delayed due to permit issues and as a result, our opening date was pushed back several months.
In the end, you eventually see that all of the disappointments led you right where you are supposed to be. We are absolutely in love with our space and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. We’ve also learned that you’ll find a way to handle any setback if you bring a positive attitude and are mentally prepared. If anything, struggles keep you on your toes!
Kinsley James Couture Bridal – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We sell couture wedding gowns at Kinsley James. We’re known for carrying exclusive, up-and-coming designers that offer unique designs, but we are most proud of our reputation among brides. When a bride makes an appointment at Kinsley James, she will have a team supporting her through the entire wedding dress process. We pride ourselves in creating a warm and friendly environment where brides don’t feel pressured or rushed to make such a big decision. Our appointments are also just a lot of fun– we serve champagne and mimosas and love celebrating with a bride’s friends and family!
Our ultimate goal is for every one of our brides to walk out of our store and down the aisle completely in love with their dress, regardless of the situation. There was a time that one of our brides took her dress to her own seamstress outside of our store. We said our goodbyes, but we always tell brides we are still here for them in case they need anything at all during that process. Well, the bride called us three days before her destination wedding and the day before she was headed out of town, letting us know that the seamstress she was using wasn’t done with her dress and she needed help. We quickly coordinated a fitting with one of our seamstresses the same day, and then worked on the dress all night to finish it for her. It wasn’t quite done before the bride had to catch her plane, but we were able to drive the dress straight from our seamstress in the East Bay to San Francisco in time to give it to her maid of honor before she left that night. Although the problem was not initially caused by us, our “fix it” mode kicks in and we make sure we do everything we can for our bride.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
We define success by how happy our customers and team are– that’s what we live for!
We would give anything to make a bride happy, and that starts by having a good, positive environment for our team to work in. We treat every bride and team member like family, and ultimately if they have a good experience with us, we feel like we have done our job right.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8231 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Website: www.kinsleyjames.com
- Phone: (323) 337-4305
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kinsleyjamescouturebridal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kinsleyjamesla/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KinsleyJames
Image Credit:
Monica Wang Photography
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