Dala's Bridal Boutique

Moniteau County, Missouri

Dala's Bridal Boutique

Est. 1971 by Melva Beeman and Dala Yontz

From the July 27, 2006 Tipton Times:

Dala's Marks 35 Years

New Generation means fresh ideas at local Business

It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon and they are just now getting to sit down to grab a bite of lunch. It's already been a hectic, demanding morning and the day is only half over for these two hard-working ladies.

"It's slow between Thanksgiving and Christmas," says one. "That's all we get for downtime, from about the end of November to the middle of December."

The business is not what one would normally think for Dala Yontz and her daughter Yolanda Allison at Dala's Bridal Boutique. Although it can be a lot of fun, it's also hard work.

"Yeah, it's fun and glamorous," said Yolanda. "But you are helping people plan for a very special event in their life and when they are going to spend for a wedding, they want things to be perfect. It can be stressful."

Yolanda said their job is to make the planning process go as smoothly as possible.

"Our job is to make sure the customer can depend on us to make that day as perfect as it can be," she said. "It's a challenge. It's more than 'dressing up.' It's a business that takes creativity and meeting constant deadlines. It's got to be there on time and it's got to be right."

This philosophy has kept Dala's growing for 35 years this Aug. 2. The business has grown into a tradition, not just for Dala's family, but for the families of customers as well.

"A lot of times we have mothers who purchased their wedding or prom gowns here, and now they are bringing their daughters back to shop with us," said Yolanda. "Even when they walk into our dressing rooms, they say, 'This is the room where I tried on my wedding gown.' It's really rewarding for us to see the next generation making memories here."

As a girl fresh out of college, Dala wanted to start a business to which people would drive to shop. She worked at Wolfe Bros. in Kansas City and at Jacque's in Jefferson City.

"I wanted a business and career where I could also raise a family," she said, referring to Yoland and son, Boyd. "I really got interested in the bridal field and learned a lot about the industry at Wolfe Bros. I graduated from a career college in Kansas City with a major in fashion merchandising."

She started out with 25 gowns and six bridesmaids dresses. Since then, the business has grown to carry hundreds of styles of bridal gowns as well as attire for the complete wedding party, prom dresses, invitations, accessories, undergarments. An outlet store, Melva Bee's, also opened last year.

One of the changes Dala said has occurred in the bridal industry is the end of bridal gowns being made in the United States.

"As of September 2005, the last manufacturer of bridal gowns in the U.S. closed," she said. "Now they are all made overseas. When I first opened the shop, all dresses were made in the United States."

But the quality of dresses has improved, she said.

"It's a better grad of lining and the beading is more ornate," Dala said. "Even the construction of the dress, the boning in the bodice, is better quality."

Yolanda said she always knew she would follow in her mother's footsteps.

"I grew up in the business with my mom and grandma (Melva Beeman)," she said. "Our head seamstress, Fran Brown, had been here more than 20 years and I was able to learn a lot from all three of them."

Yolanda said she was always interested in fashion and design. "I graduated from THS and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing at Central Missouri State University," she said.

Now, mother and daughter work together as a team and strive to teach good business values to the businesses part-time employees.

"We've always worked well together," said Yolanda. "If we're looking at 50 dresses in a showroom, we may only disagree on two or three of them. We're both pretty opinionated women, however, if we disagree, we compromise."

Although they both enjoy the work they do at the shop, they love going to market in Dallas or Chicago and buying for the coming season.

"Going to market is definitely a fun part of the business," said Yolanda. "You get so motivated and seeing the runway shows really pumps you up."

"Between my mother and I, and now working with my daughter, we have worked together really well," said Dala. "It's good to have difference of opinions in the generations. You can get in a rut and when you bring in young people, it brings life back into the business."

As far as style goes, everything old is new again.

"Style is cyclical," she said. "In the 1970s, the style was long sleeves, high necks and a log of organza. Then in the 80s taffeta with a long train was stylish and the mermaid look, fitted to a flared skirt at the bottom. Now dresses are going back to the more traditional style and lace is coming back. Strapless gowns have been the style for several years, but in the future I see gowns with shoulder treatments coming back."

Changing with the times and keeping up with trends is important in a fashion-based business.

"You have to change according to the changes in your industry as well as the changes outside your business," said Yolanda.

"Some people in business ask 'Why should I change?' said Dala. "Years ago, we didn't have a competitor. Now we do. You have to do these things to stay competitive."

As a result, brides flock from all over to get their dress at Dala's.

"We had one girl come here who flew from Omaha, Neb. to Kansas City, rented a car and drove here, picked up her dress, drove back to Kansas City and flew back," Dala said. "We've shipped dresses all over the world."

Dala and Yolanda's working relationship is a reflection of their personal relationship.

"We work together, but we also have our specific areas of specialty," Dala said. For instance, Dala helps the brides with gown selection and Yolanda assists with the fitting process in preparation for the wedding.

"We work together as a team," Yoland agreed. "We help one another, but we have our own areas of responsibility, and we both really love what we do."

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