Panicked brides rush Alfred Angelo shop after sudden closure
Jul 14, 2017, 11:24 AM | Updated: 11:29 am
An Alfred Angelo Bridal employee helps a customer at one of its signature shops. The bridal chain suddenly closed July 13, 2017. (AP, Mel Evans)
(AP, Mel Evans)
Panicked brides to be, their families, and cops flocked to a Western Washington Alfred Angelo Bridal shop that suddenly closed its doors Thursday.
People who already paid for wedding gowns from the Alfred Angelo Bridal shop in Tukwila — including those who shelled out $1,600 for a dress — got calls informing them that the company was going bankrupt and the store was closing for good.
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They were instructed that while they could not get their money back they could look at whatever dresses were left in the shop and pick one before the store locked its doors at 5 p.m., The Seattle Times reports.
This prompted a rush to the bridal store. The shop eventually locked its doors and let customers in one at a time. But police were called when customers started banging on the locked doors demanding answers, worried their special day was going to be ruined.
The Times reports that staff stayed and worked for free Thursday to help as many brides as they could.
The Alfred Angelo company has not yet commented on the closure. The bridal chain has one location in Washington, Tukwila, and also sold its dresses through a variety of bridal shops throughout the state.
