By Jasmine Gonzalez
Lodi is known for the wine grapes grown in nearby vineyards and eventually sold in the heart of downtown.
Shops vary from wine lounges to bars to restaurants to consignment stores and boutiques.
Downtown consists of well known names as “Bella” and “Pret,” but the biggest name being the bridal shop “Elizabeth.” The name “Sheryl Giles Bridal Couture” is making itself known as well.
Sheryl Giles owner of “Sheryl Giles Bridal Couture” had bought the shop two years ago with an every intention of making the name known, of improving.
Giles made the decision to open her own boutique while working as a seamstress for a shop after finding out that bridal stores only kept half the revenue. She had the idea that if she did all the alternations herself as the owner and seamstress, she would have 100 percent profit revenue.
She chose bridal not because of the profit but because she liked the meaning of marriage. She said her shop exists to make a women feel beautiful if in a wedding dress, a bridesmaid dress, a prom dress or any other dress. To her it doesn’t matter whether it’s a first-time bride or a fifth time, or a bride spending $60 or $1000. Giles makes no distinctions because she likes helping women feel beautiful.
Giles had it all the pieces, she just needed to know where to start. She had originally taught herself to sew as a means of income but graduated in 2010 with a business degree. But you can’t open a bridal shop with a degree without a forms of income. So she did research, wrote papers and compared other shops.
She saw how those shops were run and eventually had ideas on how to run her own. Then when investment came, when the capitol was there, she knew then it was the time.
After having the base of the bridal shop idea, she found a space in Lodi. Giles said the location was strategic. She had remarried around the time and recently bought a house in Lodi to stay close to family. She also knew downtown was where she wanted to be.
Giles saw Lodi as an opportunity because it is centrally located between Modesto and Sacramento. Not mention the population, vineyards, venues and the wine.
Giles sees the longstanding “Elizabeth” as an ally in the business, not a threat, because the styles are vintage vs. traditional.
Giles said she loves what she does. She now has a San Joaquin Delta College fashion design student helping her out with alterations and a high school intern who is being training in merchandising mixed in and has six others designers outside of Lodi working for her.
Though because of the growth Giles as had to move the location of her alternations room from upstairs to another location downtown to use the second floor as a dress storing floor. Giles continues to have big plans for the shop. She plans to on giving the shop more of vintage feel, like that of the bohemian feel in the dresses.
Sheryl's Giles Couture Bridal Shop
The display windows are used for visuals to draw attention with some the wedding dresses and towards the end windows, the prom dresses.
Left Entryway
When walking in, the vintage feel Giles aims for the store to have is made known with set up of the lobby.
Front Desk
The front desk in the entry is more of display for photographers with information and portraits.
Left view of jewelry case
The front desk has tow adjourning desks, the one on the right is a jewelry case.
Right view of jewerly case
The jewelry the shop has range from flower crowns, earrings, broach and necklaces.
Mirror Mirror
Dresses
On the left wall there are wedding dresses and toward the end Giles has sample flower girl dresses.
Left Desk
The second adjourning desk to the left holds flower pins, belts, and handkerchiefs.
Upstairs view
Model one dress one
In this picture a intern for Giles models one of the prom dresses.
Model one dress two
