We recently connected with Niya Toms and have shared our conversation below.
Niya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
The biggest challenge to profitability in the bridal industry is meeting minimums with designers. In order to obtain exclusivity and become an authorized retailer for many designers- a retail store must meet the minimum buys annually and sometimes bi-annually. This business model keeps retailers in a chokehold by requiring them to over buy stock to keep their exclusivity image in that demographic.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
While working full-time in a Healthcare IT company, I became inspired by my then-boyfriend Abraham Toms who worked for himself. I became inspired and motivated to identify a need within our community and start a business. Fast forward to 2016, we were engaged & it all started with a single dress: My own.
I wanted to find a more modern silhouette for my wedding day. The options I found were limited to either traditional or boho dresses. In search of an overly dramatic and ornate dress, which was not trending nor available at the time, I created my own luxury bridal house which would be known for distinct drama that felt modern and personal all at once.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In any business, you find yourself pivoting often. For us, COVID created a major shift in weddings. Brides were moving away from elaborate weddings and creating intimate moments in their backyards. Just like our brides, we had to bring in more budget friendly gowns that would help create those special memories.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
We never received initial capital when starting the business. Once I decided to open a bridal store, I put myself on a budget and used credit cards to place our first gown order. I opened Luxe Bridal Studio opened in Fall 2017, inside a shared space in West Nashville. Opening with only 25 gowns & two bridal designers,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luxebridaltn.com
- Instagram: Luxebridalnashville
- Facebook: Luxe Bridal Nashville
Image Credits
JESSICA LEIGH CO.