Eva's Bridals of Oak Lawn Named 'America's Best'

Caption: Ronia Ghusein, third-generation owner of Eva’s Bridals of Oak Lawn. One of the oldest bridal salons in the country, the shop was started in 1964 by Ghusein’s grandmother, Eva Sweis.

Eva’s Bridals of Oak Lawn was declared “Best of Chicago” on America’s Best TV Show, a largely sought after cable program that travels across the nation in search of the best small businesses.

Last year the salon celebrated 50 years in business. It is one of the oldest family-owned, bridal salons in the United States. The bridal salon was started in 1964 by Eva Sweis.

As family members tell the story, Eva, a Jordanian immigrant and humble seamstress, showed up for work at a Chicago bridal salon only to find out that it had gone out of business. The landlord of the building asked Sweis if knew how to run a bridal shop and handed her the keys.

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Sweis opened a salon under her own name -- Eva’s Bridal -- in Oak Park. Sweis’s daughter, Nancy, inherited the business from her mother. Nancy and her husband, Sam Ghusein, opened a store in Oak Lawn in 1982 at its former location at 4811 W. 95th St.

The store famously burned in a fire in November 2010 that made national news. Over 6,000 wedding gowns were lost, but Sam, Nancy, and their daughter, Ronia, were able to replace the gowns for most of their November and December brides, including four weddings scheduled the weekend after the fire.

Eva’s Bridals of Oak Lawn reopened at its current location at 5269 W. 95th St., Oak Lawn, almost a year to the day after the fire. Today, the salon is owned and operated by Ronia Ghusein, who was given the business by her mother. Ronia is the third generation to run the family business..

Eva’s Bridals of Oak Lawn carries the largest selection of designer wedding gowns from around the world and is renowned for its experienced consultants and seamstresses. The salon has won numerous industry awards and regularly features trunk shows and in-store events.

In addition to the Oak Lawn salon, the Ghusein family owns Eva’s Bridals International, 15180 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park.

The segment featuring Eva’s Bridals of Oak Lawn will air on the ION cable channel sometime this summer. It can also be viewed online.

Said Ghusein of the “America’s Best TV Show” segment: “My grandmother, Eva, would be very proud.”