Beloved Somerset County Bridal Shop To Close After 60 Years

GREEN BROOK, NJ — After more than 60 years in business, Bridgewater local Jeffrey Rabinowitz, is retiring and closing his beloved bridal dress shop, Jefre Bridal.

"I had been thinking about retiring for 2 or 3 years but I wanted to wait until my daughter got married and my friend's daughter got married," said Rabinowitz. "Then the coronavirus hit and it just kind of put us in a mood. We were sitting around so long and waiting to be allowed to reopen. It's just a good time to retire."

The store at 219 Route 22 in Green Brook will close up for good at the end of December and all dresses are half price or less including wedding gowns, mother of the bride dresses, flower girl dresses and more.

Despite his retirement, Rabinowitz said he would still take care of the brides by offering alterations even after he is closed.

A family affair

The store has long been loved by many brides in the Garden State. Rabinowitz has developed relationships with many of his brides. Over the years, has even fitted his bride's daughters for wedding dresses as they grew up.

But the story of Jefre Bridal is truly a family affair that can be traced back to the 1920s.

"My grandparents came over from Russia in the 1920s. They were tailors to the Tsar in Russia. They escaped from Russia and came to New Brunswick," said Rabinowitz.

They ran a tailoring business which was then expanded when Rabinowitz'a father took it over.

In 1958, Rabinowitz's father opened Carol’s Bridals in Plainfield. When Rabinowitz took it over, he moved the shop to Green Brook in 1971 and renamed it Jefre Bridals. Rabinowitz chose Green Brook to be near his family and home in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater.

Not only did Rabinowitz's loyal client follow the shop so did his family. His parents worked at the bridal shop until they were 80.

"My mother is still living. She just loved to be around the brides and customers," said Rabinowitz. "So it was a family business. Hopefully, we tried to treat everyone like family."

Seamstress magic

Ironically, even though Rabinowitz ran the shop he could not sew.

"I can't even put a thread in the needle. I never learned, my father never learned. His parents knew and we had no interest in it. My interest was in the garments and running a business," said Rabinowitz.

The secret to the shop's success can be linked to the seamstresses Rabinowitz had on staff.

"Our seamstresses came from Europe, they had hands of gold," said Rabinowitz. "The other half of our success was having seamstresses who can alter dresses the right way."

Rabinowitz recalled one bride who attended her cousin's wedding 6 months before her own only to find out they both purchased the same wedding dress. She was very upset since all of the same relatives would be at her wedding.

"I told her not to worry, we changed the design of her dress completely. We did so many things to the dress and didn't charge a penny for it. She was so happy and said 'I love this dress more than the other dress'," said Rabinowitz.

Another time, Rabinowitz said his best friend's daughter was pregnant and wasn't sure if she would fit in her dress.

"I said 'Don't worry.' And we altered it and didn't charge a nickel either. It was my pleasure to help," said Rabinowitz.

Third generation of brides

In business for 62 years, Rabinowitz's clientele continues to returns through the generations.

"There are people we married and sold their daughter's wedding dress. This is the only place they want to come back to. That's rewarding, so rewarding," said Rabinowitz. "Some girls were a flower girl and now they are getting married. I find comfort that they still come back to our store."

Now Rabinowitz says it is "the perfect time" to retire.

"I never went home with a clear head. I was always thinking about the customer," said Rabinowitz.

He plans to enjoy his retirement by playing golf and traveling with his wife.

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