Designer bridal shop with store in Beverly Hills expanding to Columbus. Meet the owner

Winnie Couture, a high-end wedding dress and designer gown store with locations in cities such as Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, will be opening a Columbus store in 2020, according to Maria Kent, director of the Columbus store.

A long time Columbus resident and former TSYS employee of 28 years, Kent said she saw a need for a higher-end bridal store in the city.

“Typically, Columbus brides interested in a higher-end gown would go to Atlanta or Birmingham to buy their dress. I did that 25 years ago,” Kent said. “So I felt like Columbus had a market for a nicer wedding dress place here.”

Kent, 51, said she had always been interested in retail and fashion and decided that for her second career, she’d like to go into business for herself. After consulting with a franchise broker and deciding on the wedding gown industry, she visited the Winnie Couture store in Atlanta.

“The dresses are just gorgeous — very unique, very beautiful, high-quality, with swarovski crystals, beautiful silks,” Kent said. “The brides feel really special when they’re there, they get a glass of complimentary champagne, the consultant gets to know the bride and does a lot of follow up...so it’s a wonderful customer experience.”

The new store is under construction and set to open in August or September. The 2,100 square foot space, located in The Shoppes at Bradley Park on Whitesville Road, will employ two consultants to start out.

Kent said the current coronavirus pandemic has not set her timeline back on opening the store, and that other Winnie Couture locations have been operating following guidelines to ensure the safety of customers and employees.

The company is also supplying face masks for the healthcare industry. In addition, anyone in the healthcare field who buys a wedding dress before the end of the year a discount on their dress.

Her store will open under guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and she expects business to be strong.

“In my opinion, since some brides postponed their wedding plans because of the pandemic, I feel like when I open it’s going to be really strong again and brides will be ready to schedule their weddings and buy their wedding dresses,” Kent said. “Even with brides having to be creative right now, the ones who have gone ahead and gotten married...they’re still wearing a beautiful wedding dress even if they have less people around them.”

Kent said she is excited about the new chapter in her life and the opportunity to bring an experienced-based retail store to Columbus.

“There’s been a lot of good interest and excitement around it,” she said. “This kind of retail is fun, it’s happy, you’re dealing with people who are excited about a once in a lifetime event and I’m looking forward to being part of that experience.”

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Winnie Couture was founded in 2001 by husband and wife Chris and Winnie Lee. Flagship locations include Beverly Hills, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, and the soon-to-come locations in Columbus and Nashville.

This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 6:00 AM.