How Elena Kawa built Ethereal Bridal around a better appointment
Elena Kawa is founder and CEO of Ethereal Bridal, a bridal boutique offering curated gowns through private appointments and personalized guidance. This conversation explores how a disappointing shopping experience shaped the business, why moving into a commercial space mattered, and what the business learned about tracking inventory and orders as it got busier.
A distinct customer experience needs reliable operations behind it. Ethereal Bridal learned that memory and notes were not enough to track inventory and orders as the business got busier.
How did the business start, and what makes it different from others in your space?
Ethereal Bridal started because of my own bridal shopping expirience that was not at all what I expected. It was rushed, impersonal, pushy, and the dresses were all looking the same, lacking the unique designs and quality I wanted to see. What makes us different is the genuine care behind every appointment, which are always private and personalized for every bride. We also carefully curate our collections to ensure we have unique dresses of great quality and design. The brides that come to us know what they are getting, as we guide them with transparancy through every step of the way, something I did not expirience in my own journey.
How did you win your first customers, and where does most new business come from today?
Our first customers found us through online channels like google and instagram. Today brides come from online channels, our reviews, word of mouth, and simply from seeing us on their commute because of our amazing location.
What is one decision that changed the direction of the business, and one mistake that taught you the most?
One desicion that changed our business was moving into a commercial space after 2 years being a bridal boutique based in a residential basement. That allowed us to build the space we always invisioned for ourselves and our brides, and made us more visible to the public. One mistake that taught us a lot is not having a solid system in place right away to track inventory and new orders, because when we started getting busier relying on memory and notes was not enough.
What has changed in your industry or in what customers expect, and how have you adapted?
The brides are looking for more than just a beautiful dress, they are looking for an amazing experience without the sales pressure. That has been our main focus from the start and we are happy to go above and beyond for every bride who comes through our doors, as this is our signature Ethereal level of care. Brides are looking for dresses as unique as they are, so we have adapted for different price points, timelines and various modifications.
If someone were starting a business like yours today, what should they do first, and what should they ignore?
Passion for the industry and loving what you do is key. Make a detailed plan of where you want to go but also be prepaired for it to change along the way. Understanding the process and the timelines is crucial as well. Source partnerships with people that are on the same page, as working with like minded people is the only way to have lasting relationships. And lastly, ignore the outside noise, do not compare yourself to others and only try to better than you were yesterday.
Thank you to Elena Kawa and the team at Ethereal Bridal for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
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