Eva's Bridal Closing After 36 Years In Oak Lawn

OAK LAWN, IL -- After 36 years on 95th Street and a devastating fire in in 2010, Eva’s Bridal of Oak Lawn is bidding farewell. Third-generation owner Ronia Ghusein notified brides with current orders that the store is closing before making the public announcement Friday on Facebook. An “epic” close out sale will begin immediately.

“As hard of a decision it was to make, and it was a very hard decision, it was the right decision,” Ghusein said. “I called all of our brides that currently have orders and told them, some 60 pages of brides.”

The business was started in 1964 by Ghusein’s grandmother, Eva Sweis, in Chicago. It is one of the oldest family-owned bridal salons in the United States. Ghusein's brother, Chad, owns Eva's International Bridals on LaGrange in Orland Park.

Ghusein said they decided not to renew their lease at 5269 W. 95th St., where the salon relocated after a fire leveled the original location. The day after the fire, Ghusein and her employees set up at temporary office in the back of Palermo’s Restaurant, coordinating with vendors to replace dresses that had been destroyed in the fire. The salon was able to deliver most dresses even to those brides with weddings the weekend following the fire.

“We will continue to take care of our brides concerning alterations and referrals to seamstresses,” Ghusein said. “All of our brides will get their dresses. We delivered dresses when we didn’t have a store out of our trunk.”

Starting immediately, Eva’s Bridal of Oak Lawn will be holding an “epic” closeout sale through Nov. 4. All dresses from all designers -- and there are hundreds in the store -- will be sold at prices ranging from $199 to $799. Brides interested in buying a gown need to set up an appointment in advance, by calling 708-422-5599.

“Our email address and phone number will not change,” Ghusein said. “Oak Lawn and the people her mean a lot to us, so we are doing a big dress sale.”

Starting Nov. 6, Eva’s Bridal will work with Brides Across America, a non-profit organization that provides free wedding gowns to first responder and military brides, through Nov. 9. Brides who are active or deployed members of the military, a veteran who has served within the past five years, or a first responder (EMT, police, fire), or the fiance of a military member of first responder, can select a free wedding gown from the store’s inventory. To participate, qualifying brides need to register with Brides Across America’s Operation Wedding Gown. Military and first responder ID are needed. Military and first responder brides are asked to call the store in advance after they have been qualified and bring proof of service.

“It’s our way of thanking and showing our appreciation to the fire department, police and military,” Ghusein said. “Especially with us and the fire. That’s a big part of our history.”

Ghusein would not comment if she plans to reopen Eva’s Bridals outside of Oak Lawn, only to say that the desire to make women feel beautiful on their wedding day is “never going to go away.”

~ Image via Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn Facebook