Greensburg shop is perfecting the wedding dress experience
“I wanted to feel like a princess, like Cinderella.”
Those are the words of Kristin Lonce, of Belle Vernon, as she looked in the mirror at the final fitting for her wedding gown at MB Bride in Greensburg.
Lonce waited her entire life for that special day – May 8 – when she would marry her prince charming – Lee Reynolds.
Finding that perfect gown is a time in a woman's life where she is the center of attention and in search of the dress she's dreamed of wearing since she was a little girl.
Making that dream a reality is the passion of Maja and Reed Pederson and their staff at MB Bride. The Greensburg couple has been helping women such as Lonce say “Yes to the Dress” for 25 years.
They begin their 26th year Nov. 1.
“We call it bridal heaven,” says Maja Pederson. “When I walk through all those wedding gowns, I see beauty and happiness. We are all about making the wedding day one to remember.”
The minute Lonce spotted the dress she knew she loved it, but…
“I saw this dress, and thought it might be way out of budget, but it wasn't,” she says. “They said to just look at it, and try it on, and it was perfect.”
This wasn't the first time she had found the perfect dress at MB Bride. She had purchased a prom gown there.
“This is not our first time here,” says Lonce's mom Tracy Stanley, of Waynesburg, through tears as she glanced at her daughter in her wedding gown. “That's why we came back. They provide excellent service. They always tend to your every need. They want to make sure that your day is a moment you will remember for the rest of your life.”
Creating that moment is about more than the dress.
It's about feeling the emotions of the bride, her mother, the bridesmaids and whoever else comes with her for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, says Jenn Mason, head buyer and store manager, who was also an MB Bride bride. She started part time and loved it so much she's never left.
“It's such a rewarding job,” Mason says. “I think of all the moments I've shared with brides and their families and watching them say ‘yes to the dress.' You feel it. The prom girls, too. I love seeing them happy they found their dress.”
Shopping at MB Bride is about the experience, says Maja Pederson. When you see a bride come in and pick up her dress, and she is smiling and so happy, that makes she and her crew happy. It's about doing what's right for the customer, down to the smallest detail.
Such as when Lonce was ready to leave the store, Mason carried the gown out to the car and hung it in the backseat. Mason has witnessed many bridal stories -- some funny, some wonderful and some heartbreaking .
“It's genuine here,” Mason says. “You cry and laugh with the bride, because you feel their emotions. You might see several brides try on the same dress, but when you see the bride where that dress is perfect you know… and she knows. It's such a defining moment.”
The personal touch is prevalent throughout the store from everyone who works there, says Peter Carrocci, an independent sales representative for the Maggie Sottero bridal line.
“Everyone at MB Bride is incredible,” says Carrocci. “Even if there is an issue or a problem, they take care of it. I can't say enough about them. They are very gracious people.”
They are always looking to improve and thinking about what they can do better, Carrocci says. Some stores look to the past and negativity, but not MB Bride. They really care about their customers, they properly train their staff, and the staff really cares about helping a bride, he says.
They also invest in products so they offer a big variety of styles and price points and carry a wide range of sizes and cater to all demographics.
“They are really efficient,” Carrocci says. “They get it. They know what's happening and have checks and balances in place. Their attention to detail is remarkable.”
Yes it is, agrees Nikki Deeds, national sales manager for Allure Bridals. She says the owners are smart in their buying and have a nice selection of merchandise.
“They have a full circle effect, “Deeds says. “A girl comes there for the first time going to prom and buys a dress, and then when she gets engaged she comes back for her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses and tuxedos for the guys and dresses for the mother-of-the bride and the mother-of-the-groom. The owners are really down to earth and have built the business up through hard work and listening to their customers.”
Listening, also to their employees, Mason says. MB Bride employs 53, including 14 seamstresses.
“Maja's and Reed's way of doing business is unmatched,” Mason says. “They are so open about trying something new or different. They trust me. When we go to market they let us have an opinion. They are amazing to work with and have been so supportive of me with my husband being in the military. My kids have grown up in this store. They take care of us. I could not go to work for anyone else.”
Seamstress Susan Diehl has been working there for 12 years. She says she likes everything about the company where she started one day a week sewing to becoming a manager in four months. She says the employees become part of a customer's life, part of the process of the dress experience, which creates a special relationship.
“I love that it is a family owned business,” Diehl says. “I really enjoy interacting with the customers. There are freedoms to do alterations and make suggestions. I love to sew, and love the intricate work of gowns. The final fitting is so exciting, especially when the bride says ‘everything is perfect.' Then, I've done my job.”
Having professional seamstresses enhances that attention to detail, down to the last stitch.
“The alterations have to be right,” Maja Pederson says. “Our seamstresses are artists. They know the fabrics so well and know how to work with them. They do beautiful work.”
Maja and Reed Pederson say they would not be where they are today without loyal employees. Maja, who is from Switzerland, says hiring other people with limited English like herself is a chance to give them the same opportunity she was given for employment. They have Russians, Singaporeans, Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, French, and Swiss, and have had workers from Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina.
“We respect all of our employees,” says Maja Pederson, who, with her husband raised sons Sky, 20, and Clark, 18, while running the full-time business. “If they need something, we are there for them. We raised a family, so we know things happen, and there are times they might need to leave early or come in late or have a day off. They can talk to us. We have an incredible staff, many who have been with us for a long time. We are open to suggestions from them. We have an open door policy.”
What started with 55-60 bridal, bridesmaids and mothers' gowns has grown to approximately 3,500. The store's original name was Modern Bride but they changed it to MB Bride because the owners of Modern Bride Magazine sued them.
By 2004, they purchased and renovated the old Greensburg Lumber store. They offer free wedding dress storage. They opened a prom area in 2008 and have a tuxedo shop.
“We love our business, and we strive to treat our employees, suppliers and customers with honesty, fairness, respect and dignity,” says Reed Pederson. “That's what we define as a true family owned business.”
They offer private dressing rooms and fitting areas where brides to be can have time to look and try on dresses at their leisure. They can have a drink and hors d'oeuvres while searching among the racks and racks of dresses.
They've been able to thrive in this industry because of their dedication to keeping up with trends and listening to customers, says Reed Pederson.
They usually attend several five formal markets a year in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas. They have been to markets in England, Germany and Spain and help design dresses in New York and Nashville, Tenn.
They carry 10 bridal designers, including several of their collections, for about 20 lines and have15 prom designers representing 17 lines , 15 bridesmaids' designers for 21 lines, and eight mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom designers for nine lines.
“We scraped our pennies together,” Reed Pederson says. “It was a risk and an adventure. We worked and worked and worked …but it wasn't really work...it was fun. We take pride in what we do.”
Bridal dresses range in price from $99-$4,000.
They have 15,600 square feet of space, including 48 dressing rooms. They often do 70 fittings on a Saturday, which makes for controlled chaos.
All the activity makes it a fun place to buy a dress, says Tiffany Teslovich of Brownsville who found MB Bride on Google.
“It's so perfect,” says Teslovich, whose wedding is July 7, 2018. “I love it here. They are so helpful, but also give you space to explore and take your time. I never felt rushed.”
Mom liked the experience, too.
“I loved everything about it,” says Nancy Teslovich. “They've treated us so well. And this dress … well … it is just so beautiful on her.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-853-5062, jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.
