Carly Brooks owns the Denver franchise of Lovely Bride. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)
Carly Brooks said yes to the new address.
The owner of Lovely Bride’s Denver franchise moved the bridal shop to 3418 Larimer St. last month, saying she was priced out of her original location at 2636 Walnut St.
“I was already paying what I felt was top dollar for the area,” Brooks said. “I would’ve had the highest rent rate of Lovely Bride in the country, except for New York.”
The 36-year-old Colorado native, a fan of weddings and reality TV shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Bridezillas,” started working in the bridal industry in 2015 after her dad died of cancer. She went on to franchise with Lovely Bride and opened in 2,000 square feet at 2636 Walnut St. six years ago.
“I needed a break, I needed an emotional break, a mental break,” she said. “I fell in love with the work. It’s a really joyful, happy experience, being able to help people. It’s feel-good work.”
Dresses on display at Lovely Bride, which recently moved within RiNo. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)
Brooks said she signed the lease for her original location when Denver’s Ken Wolf still owned the property. But by the time her $90,000 buildout was finished, Wolf had sold basically the entire block to Edens, a national retail real estate firm.
“I put so much money into my buildout. I loved my store,” Brooks said. “I specifically wanted to be at that location.”
When the time came to renew her lease, Brooks said, Edens wanted a 30% increase in rent, which would have brought monthly payments to nearly $12,000.
Instead, she found her new space about eight blocks away. While it didn’t need any construction, she invested roughly $30,000 in painting, curtains and moveable paper walls.
Coincidentally, after she signed the lease, the real estate — which is on the ground floor of an apartment building — once again sold to a new buyer. But this time, Brooks said, her rent rates are locked in for 10 years.
“It proved to me that there’s flexibility for landlords in today’s world,” Brooks said.
Lovely Bride is the latest in a string of companies to leave Edens real estate. On her former block, longtime tenant Matthew Morris Salon and Outdoor Voices also closed in March.
Brooks thinks national retail landlords should consider adopting the equivalent of affordable housing for small businesses.
“I don’t know what Eden’s plan is, but if you’re bringing in huge companies like Patagonia and Burton and Arcteryx … why can’t you offset prices for people like us?” Brooks asked. “It’s unfortunate that with more growth and more money coming into the state, and the city especially, comes more pressure financially on small businesses.”
Carly Brooks owns the Denver franchise of Lovely Bride. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)
Carly Brooks said yes to the new address.
The owner of Lovely Bride’s Denver franchise moved the bridal shop to 3418 Larimer St. last month, saying she was priced out of her original location at 2636 Walnut St.
“I was already paying what I felt was top dollar for the area,” Brooks said. “I would’ve had the highest rent rate of Lovely Bride in the country, except for New York.”
The 36-year-old Colorado native, a fan of weddings and reality TV shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Bridezillas,” started working in the bridal industry in 2015 after her dad died of cancer. She went on to franchise with Lovely Bride and opened in 2,000 square feet at 2636 Walnut St. six years ago.
“I needed a break, I needed an emotional break, a mental break,” she said. “I fell in love with the work. It’s a really joyful, happy experience, being able to help people. It’s feel-good work.”
Dresses on display at Lovely Bride, which recently moved within RiNo. (Maia Luem/BusinessDen)
Brooks said she signed the lease for her original location when Denver’s Ken Wolf still owned the property. But by the time her $90,000 buildout was finished, Wolf had sold basically the entire block to Edens, a national retail real estate firm.
“I put so much money into my buildout. I loved my store,” Brooks said. “I specifically wanted to be at that location.”
When the time came to renew her lease, Brooks said, Edens wanted a 30% increase in rent, which would have brought monthly payments to nearly $12,000.
Instead, she found her new space about eight blocks away. While it didn’t need any construction, she invested roughly $30,000 in painting, curtains and moveable paper walls.
Coincidentally, after she signed the lease, the real estate — which is on the ground floor of an apartment building — once again sold to a new buyer. But this time, Brooks said, her rent rates are locked in for 10 years.
“It proved to me that there’s flexibility for landlords in today’s world,” Brooks said.
Lovely Bride is the latest in a string of companies to leave Edens real estate. On her former block, longtime tenant Matthew Morris Salon and Outdoor Voices also closed in March.
Brooks thinks national retail landlords should consider adopting the equivalent of affordable housing for small businesses.
“I don’t know what Eden’s plan is, but if you’re bringing in huge companies like Patagonia and Burton and Arcteryx … why can’t you offset prices for people like us?” Brooks asked. “It’s unfortunate that with more growth and more money coming into the state, and the city especially, comes more pressure financially on small businesses.”
