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Pointer Salutes:” Archives
Oyster
Pointer Salutes: Blush:
Putting a new face on consignment
By Sara Johnston
If
you’re a blushing bride-to-be or simply looking for a great
formal dress to knock them dead at prom, head over to Blush, a bridal
consignment boutique, located in the luxurious live/work environment
of Port Warwick. Blush, located at 185 Herman Melville Avenue, offers
a new twist in shopping, specializing in gowns on consignment in
an upscale boutique. “It’s a bridal shop that just happens
to be consignment rather than a consignment shop that just happens
to be bridal,” says Blush owner Holly Yaskowsky.
 Blush
owner Holly Yaskowsky displays some of her stock of 350 gorgeous
gowns. |
The
idea for Blush came about when Yaskowsky, a 2003 bride, was looking
to consign her own bridal gown. “I didn’t want to have
it sit in my closet for 30 years, and most consignment shops don’t
take wedding dresses because of the amount of space they take up,”
says Yaskowsky.
The closest shop Yaskowsky could find to accept her dress was located
in Maryland. The Maryland shop owner, Jacqueline Zeranski, then
became a mentor for Yaskowsky in her mission to open her own bridal
consignment shop.
Yaskowsky chose Port Warwick for her shop’s location because
of the “live-above aspect,” says Yaskowsky. Yaskowsky
had been a commuter for six years traveling from her home in Hampton
to Norfolk’s MacArthur Center where she worked in the marketing
department. Yaskowsky and her husband, Michael, now live above Blush
in one of Port Warwick’s live-above town homes.
Blush opened in January, 2005 with approximately 75 gowns and now
features more than 350 gowns. Brands range from lower-cost retail
designers to high-end designers such as Mori Lee, Vera Wang, Maggie
Sottero, Jim Hjelm as well as many other prominent bridal designers.
In addition to bridal wear, Blush also sells and consigns mother
of the bride dresses, flower girl dresses, some bridesmaid dresses,
evening gowns, and prom dresses.
A bride cannot only find the perfect gown at Blush, but also accessorize
her look with veils, tiaras, head pieces, handbags, garters, and
handmade jewelry crafted by local designers. Yaskowsky stresses
that not all the gowns in Blush are strictly consignment, “I
get a lot of new gowns, sample gowns, and once-worn gowns,”
says Yaskowsky.
Shopping at Blush is typically by appointment only so that Yaskowsky,
currently Blush’s only employee, can devote “the service
and attention brides deserve,” says Yaskowsky.
Though there are not any other bridal consignment shops in the area,
Yaskowsky considers her biggest competitors regular bridal salons.
“With brides today being more budget savvy they are not afraid
to shop around,” says Yaskowsky. “We are in a unique position
because we have such a wide variety of dresses; our price, service,
and selection set us apart.”
As Blush moves into the future, Yaskowsky would like to be a little
less managerial and spend more time out in the community doing what
she does best, marketing. Yaskowsky admits she would simply like
“getting to the point where everyone knows I’m here.” |
