Angry Brides, Bridesmaids Left Banging On Doors As Bridal Shop Closes

MANCHESTER, CT – The abrupt closing of the Alfred Angelo store in Manchester's Buckland Hills shopping district on Friday stood up a bunch of angry brides and bridal party members well before the altar. In fact, it was even saying no to the dress as people banged on the doors.

The store is located at the Plaza at Buckland Hills, a popular outdoor shopping venue that also includes a recently closed Eastern Mountain Sports location.

Signs were on the Alfred Angelo windows directing customers to certain phone numbers and web addresses. Staffers were inside but would not come out to answer any questions. At the close of business on Thursday, lawyers for Alfred Angelo released a letter indicating that the national retailer planned to liquidate its business under federal bankruptcy laws.

The chain has 60 stores in the United States.

"Helping you realize your wedding dreams is at the heart of the Alfred Angelo legacy," the company website proclaimed on Friday morning. "As a wedding dress retailer that has dressed brides and their bridal parties for over 80 years, we continue the timeless vision of our founders, Alfred Angelo Piccione and Edythe Vincent Piccione, by offering elegant and affordable contemporary wedding dress and bridal party fashions."

Within seven and a half minutes of the time the store was supposed to open on Friday, staffers were getting dressed down by two angry women.

Neither would give their names, but one said she was a bride who just wanted to pick up her veil. She walked across the parking lot, looked through the windows, and staffers at first ignored her pleas to open the door.

She refused to leave and banged on the door. Just then, a FedEx truck pulled up, and out popped a driver who said he was there to pick up inventory. A staffer opened the door just enough to let him in, and the woman trying to get her veil began voicing her displeasure.

After several minutes, a staffer came to the door, took the inventory number, came back, cracked open the door, handed the woman the veil and slammed the door shut.

About a minute later, a woman with four children in a minivan pulled into the fire lane, facing the wrong way, thinking she could quickly grab a bridesmaid's dress.

"What? It's closed? I need to get a dress," she said. She also refused to leave and was standing at the door, knocking, trying to get the attention of staffers inside.

One message on the window was contact information for a law firm.

"The company regrets that this action will have dramatic impact on you," the bankruptcy letter said.

The letter said that future decisions would be "solely at the discretion" of a Chapter 7 trustee.

"The company understands that you were unaware of all of these circumstances and decisions," the letter stated. "The company will encourage the Chapter 7 trustee to finish and fulfill as many orders as possible."

Competitors were offering discounts and reaching out to help. David's Bridal, for example, has an entire page on its website for Alfred Angelo refugees.

"We know how much goes into planning a wedding, and we want to ensure that everyone affected by this news can still have the day of their dreams. If you recently purchased a wedding dress or bridesmaid dress from an Alfred Angelo retail store and did not receive it, we are offering a discount on a replacement dress of your choice," a statement on David's website proclaimed.

Sam Belsito, a state representative who owns Samuel Ltd., a formalwear business in Vernon, said Friday was destined to be unpleasant.

"It's terrible," he said. "A lot of these woman are going to be left without their gowns."

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel