Meet Madison Blackburn: Bridal Boutique Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Blackburn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I worked at a couple chain bridal stores as well as a boutique prior to starting my own bridal boutique and saw all sorts of things at each place that I liked and disliked about each. I had an instant love for bridal after working with my very first bride at my first job in the industry, at Impression Bridal. Then after hopping from shop to shop, trying to find a good fit for me, I stumbled across a little shop in down town Alpharetta, Atlanta Bride Couture. Everything seemed great… but, shortly after I started there, I got a call from my neighbor saying she was listening to The Bert Show on her way to work and a bride had called in warning about ABC. She said her wedding was quickly approaching, the owners had been dodging her, and she swung by the shop to try to talk to someone in person about what was going on and found the shop completely cleaned out. They had fled overnight leaving their brides gown-less and their employees unpaid and out of work. My parents are both entrepreneurs and have always wanted me to have my own business one day, so I had finally found my calling. It was clear that there was a lack of personal touch, quality, and passion in the industry and I found it to be my personal mission to fill that void. There are tons of shops with pretty gowns, there are certainly shops with gowns less expensive than mine, but there isn’t another (at least locally) that offers the hand-picked curated collection that I offer, especially in a bride-oriented not sales-oriented setting like my little shop. I wanted to offer a safe place for girls to find their dream gowns, with no pressure, no prying eyes, and the attention to detail that is SO important to each bride on their big day. I felt Atlanta brides deserved better, and I wanted to be the person to give that to them.

What should our readers know about your business?
I really believe we are different in a lot of ways, but one being that it is just my family and I here. I work every appointment myself. I don’t have any employees. I do everything from the quickbooks, to ordering, to social media, to working with the brides myself and with the help of my parents and sister. I only ever take one bride at a time so she can have the shop to herself and a laid back experience where everyone can feel at ease. I carry lines that no where else in the area carries so brides who shop with me don’t feel “cookie cutter”. After selling a gown off the rack, I don’t re-order that style so no one feels like they have seen that dress 1000 times. I just truly strive to get every girl exactly what it is she’s searching for and in a gown as special as she is. A gown just for her. Business is absolutely not easy. The first two years were actually incredibly disheartening. I had no clue the amount of work that lie ahead of me when I opened. I had assumed the old saying was true, “Build it and they will come”… and it absolutely was not true. It took a long time, a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of no’s, and a lot of lessons the hard way to find where I fit into Atlanta bridal. I was 21 when we opened, so I didn’t have a ton of real life experience let alone business experience. My number one piece of advice is not to let anyone bully you. Do not take peoples criticisms to heart. Do not veer off your path. Have faith in yourself. Trust the process. My second year open, I was in panic mode because I had brought in several lines that I had been pressured into buying by other vendors and told by so many people that if we didn’t carry those lines we would surely fail. That was SO hard at 21 to hear, and I caved, but it wasn’t true at all. Carrying those lines honestly stunted our growth temporarily as bringing in mass produced low-quality lines because they were bigger names in the bridal industry was the OPPOSITE of what my mission and my brand has always been about. Now, we are back on track. I lost my way for a little bit, but once I got everyone else’s plan for me out of my lane, we started cruising. Our gowns are so unique, so beautiful, have timeless elements, are of the greatest quality and value, and there isn’t a single current collection gown that I wouldn’t personally be proud to wear on my wedding day. The key really is to have something you believe in and when you find it, stay with it. If you fall off track, get back on track. If you feel lost, don’t fret. Persevere. You WILL find your way. I feel my brand is all about being true to you. I want every bride who shops with me to feel like the very best version of herself. We believe in fun, femininity, strength, honesty, empowerment, creativity, and authenticity. It is so important to be authentic and genuine.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay first stop Barcelona!!! I love the Inman Park location, its adorable. I’ve never had a bad experience there and something just a little different. Honestly, I’m a freak for some dang tapas! I also love Eclipse de Luna, both Dunwoody and Buckhead, and they are super low key and really affordable and have bottomless Sangria and Mimosas during brunch on the weekends. Skip the chicken and waffles but definitely get the braised short ribs! Eventide is such an adorable brewery in Atlanta and I love their outdoor seating area. It is perfect for a nice spring or summer day. Across the street is a little farm or something, they have horses, but don’t worry it doesn’t smell like horse outside while you play cornhole and sip your beer. I’m a huge foodie and live OTP, so most of my trips into Atlanta revolve around where to eat. I have never been, but somewhere high on my list is the Consulate. My bestie is actually currently living in California, so when she comes home we will have to try it!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a couple people I truly have to thank for where I am today. Just who I am as a human, thank you IMMENSLEY mom and dad. They gave me the structure, discipline, integrity, drive, and the ability to dream that I needed to succeed no matter what it was that I wanted to do. My next, Sheilah… Sheilah is the most integral part of my success in bridal. She was my first boss in the bridal industry and truly made me fall in love with bridal. She taught me everything I know, always believed in me, and really showed me how important it was to care for the bride not for the sale. My bride oriented process definitely came from her expertise and teaching me the compassion needed to work in an emotioon based field. Last but certainly not least, Chaneya Joyner. Chaneya was my grand big’s best friend when I went to UWG and honestly, at the time, I didn’t really know her too well. But, after I left UWG and went home KSU, we stayed in touch via social media and she has been someone who has always supported me since day one. She has modeled for me on several occasions, she actually referred the very first bride who purchased with me to me, she is just truly a woman supporting women. She is so determined and driven and so inspiring. She really is someone who lifts everyone up around her, and for that, I am so thankful.

Website: www.bridalsbymadison.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridalsbymadison/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridalsbymadison