On Wednesday, Feb. 13 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Caryn’s Bridals, Formals and Tuxedos, a local bridal and formal-wear salon, hosted a reception to mark the completion of new renovations to the store with at least 250 visitors attending.
New renovations included replacing wall-to- wall carpeting in the store with hardwood floors as well as going “back to the original walls,” as stated by Caryn Kayton, owner of Caryn's.
Kayton further commented on one additional renovation done to the store, being the construction of two additional bridal dressing rooms. Kayton commented that the construction was in reaction to not having enough room in the store when there would be a high number of customers on weekends.
Now, with a total of four bridal dressing rooms, Kayton stated, “We can accommodate the brides better on the weekends when we’re so busy.”
Caryn's was kept open for business during the 30-day renovation process. The renovation process involved two parts: moving the merchandise to the front of the store to install the wood flooring in the back of the store and then moving the merchandise to the back of the store to install the wood flooring in front of the store.
Past renovations to Caryn's have included building a sewing room in the upper level of the building, refinishing the floors on the upper level and building a kitchen in the break room.
With over 30 years of presence in the town of Farmville, Caryn's has become a destination business with customers visiting from all over the state of Virginia, according to Kayton.
The store has been located on Main Street since 1986, and initially began as a fabric store. Kayton said that the transition from a fabric store to a bridal and formal-wear store was inspired when a coworker made a bridal gown to place in the window display.
“People kept coming in the store and wanting to know [if] we sold bridal gowns,” said Kayton. “I just felt like there was an opportunity to do that.”
As a Longwood alumna who majored in education, Kayton opened Caryn's Bridals, Formals and Tuxedos at the age of 24 after deciding education was not the appropriate career path for her.
“I followed my heart and went into the retail business, and I've enjoyed every minute of it,” said Kayton
Commenting on what makes Caryn's unique as a bridal store, Kayton said, “My background is in sewing, so the fit of the garment [is] a very important part of the process for me, and a lot of bridal stores are subbing that out and not taking responsibility for it, but I think sending [brides] down the aisle with a finished product is very important and making sure it fits them properly, and we do it in an affordable way.”
She further commented, “We have more of a relaxed atmosphere. It’s not a stuffy atmosphere, and we try to be very careful to listen to the customers and respect their budgets.”
Sally Thompson, a member of the Farmville Town Council, attended the opening reception event, saying, “Caryn has worked very hard to make this a beautiful, new store [and] to redo it.”
“This is one of the best places in Virginia to find bridal-wear and formal-wear,” stated Thompson.
As a part of the Farmville Downtown Revitalization Project, a movement with volunteers in the community working to improve activity in downtown Farmville, Thompson said, “We’re trying very hard to redo downtown Farmville and to turn it into a place that is vibrant.”
Commenting on the new renovations to Caryn's Bridals, Formals and Tuxedos, Thompson said, “I think she is an upscale shop, and she’s redone it so that it’s absolutely beautiful ... Caryn’s got her foot in the door. She’s ahead of everybody, and we’re really excited about this.”
Caryn's Bridals, Formals and Tuxedos is located at 233 N. Main St., Farmville, VA. 23901. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call the store at (434) 392-5111.
