THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310422
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY EARL SWIFT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Excited talk of baby's breath and lifelong love gave way to harsh words and security guards when Lady L Bridal went belly-up this month.
Collapsing under its debts, the Richmond-based chain of wedding boutiques closed its Henrico County headquarters store Monday, ending a statewide shut-down that left an army of brides-to-be without wedding gowns and with little hope they would see any cash they deposited on their dresses.
Monday's store closure followed another at Lady L's Independence Boulevard location, which hired a sentry to keep the peace after the outlet was swarmed by dozens of angry brides and family members late last week.
In all, about 1,000 people participating in 240 to 300 weddings were jilted.
``I ran over to the store at noon on Friday, and found a line of waiting women,'' said Nicky Walker, whose two daughters ordered wedding dresses through the Virginia Beach outlet.
``The windows were draped so that you could not peer in, and a security guard was standing at the door and letting one woman in at a time to discuss their financial accounts with Lady L.
``To find out we've lost several hundred dollars is really a hardship,'' she said. ``Most people in society really cannot afford to lose that money.''
Sheila Meiggs found out four days before her daughter's Saturday wedding that Lady L would not be delivering dresses for the ceremony's three bridesmaids, nor refunding the deposits the family had placed on them.
``I'm out our deposits,'' said Meiggs, who paid half the dresses' price when she ordered them in April. ``The owner called me on Tuesday and she said, `You're talking to a broken woman.'
``I said, `Well, you're talking to a very aggravated woman.' ''
The owner in question is Hedy Lampkin, a 29-year industry veteran who built the business into one of the nation's top 10 bridal retailers.
Along with four stores, the company boasted a 1-800 telephone-ordering service for discounted merchandise, which it advertised in major bridal magazines.
But the firm, forced to maintain a large inventory of designer dresses, found itself undercut by larger discount houses, some of which make their own gowns.
``They were considered one of the big ones, and I think it's an omen of things to come,'' said Bruce Arkema, a Richmond attorney for the firm. ``Five years from now, you won't have any mom-and-pop bridal stores left.''
Lady L's parent company, E & H Corp., closed the Roanoke store July 31, its Colonial Heights store two weeks later, and filed for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors Aug. 17.
The firm continued to accept customers' orders even after the bankruptcy, Arkema said. The reason: A competitor, Pennsylvania-based David's Bridal, was eyeing Lady L's purchase. But the deal fell apart.
Walker said she learned of the Virginia Beach store's imminent closure Friday, when she checked on one daughter's dress, and learned that the other daughter's gown - fully paid-for - was about to be shipped to Lady L's Henrico store.
``The salesperson said, `Mrs. Walker, I'm telling you that you have to come get that dress right now,' '' she said.
Other Hampton Roads bridal shops offered to help wedding parties suddenly left without the ceremony's traditional finery. Business has been brisk this week at Tiffanys Bridal and Formal in Norfolk's Best Square, which on Wednesday tended to seven bridesmaids participating in a wedding this weekend.
``The phone's been ringing,'' said Tena Morrison, a registered bridal consultant at the store. ``They've all been starting out the conversation by saying: `I'm another Lady L.' ''
The Wedding Gallery, another store, bailed out Meika Wisenbaker - Meiggs's daughter - by having her bridesmaids' already-completed dresses shipped overnight by the manufacturer.
``Really, I handled it very well, because I knew there wasn't a whole lot we could do,'' Wisenbaker said. ``It wasn't going to do anybody any good to yell and get upset and cry.
``Of course, it helped that it wasn't my dress.''
Meanwhile, Arkema said Lady L would lend any assistance it could to its customers. The firm and the Better Business Bureau are establishing an information service that will help wedding parties determine the makers of their dresses, the status of their orders and the amount due on them.
``Any bride whose dress was received by us after the 17th, the Small Business Administration, our primary creditor, has given us permission to release those dresses,'' Arkema said.
``There are ongoing negotiations to satisfy the orders of people whose orders were not in.
``The owners of our business,'' Arkema said, ``even though they're under a tremendous pressure, feel a moral obligation to help these brides out.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MORT FRYMAN
Staff
Lady L Bridal in Virginia Beach hired a sentry to keep peace.
by CNB