Nikolina, left, and Andrea
You:
Andrea Erickson and daughter Nikolina, the shop manager
Business name:
Andrea’s Vintage Bridals
Web site:
Facebook page:
Pinterest:
Located:
Lyn-Lake neighborhood of Minneapolis
Your passion for weddings:
When I got remarried in 2006, I was a plus-sized middle-aged bride — with flair! I found that there was a distinct lack of product available for me regarding wedding gowns, and there was certainly no one marketing to middle-aged, plus sized brides with avante-garde tastes. I began collecting vintage wedding gowns simply based on their beauty and extraordinary fabrications, and before you knew it my private collection had evolved into a small shop. The business is also very personal, as my husband and both children are an integral part of it. My husband manages the bureaucratic paperwork, my daughter manages the shop and is the primary gown consultant, and my son manages the web development. We are truly a family business!
Grew up:
When I got remarried in 2006, I was a plus-sized middle-aged bride — with flair! I found that there was a distinct lack of product available for me regarding wedding gowns, and there was certainly no one marketing to middle-aged, plus sized brides with avante-garde tastes. I began collecting vintage wedding gowns simply based on their beauty and extraordinary fabrications, and before you knew it my private collection had evolved into a small shop. The business is also very personal, as my husband and both children are an integral part of it. My husband manages the bureaucratic paperwork, my daughter manages the shop and is the primary gown consultant, and my son manages the web development. We are truly a family business!
Grew up:
In Minneapolis. I have a B.A. in Music Education from Augsburg college and an M.A. and post-Master’s Certificate in Psychology from the University of St. Thomas.
Why you love weddings:
They are an opportunity to display a sense of good design, personal taste and style. They are often a welcome excuse for a formal event, pomp and circumstance outside our daily regimen and a unique opportunity for a couple to define and express themselves. There’s nothing left like it in our harried modern lives!
Favorite wedding item:
Vintage cake toppers! We sell them at the shop and they are so often a specific and concise definition of a couple.
What’s one thing no one would ever guess about you?
I have a mssive collection of Jenny Lind memorabilia (she was a Swedish soprano and world superstar — the first!). My collection was a featured display at the American Swedish Instittue, and I’ve also taught a Jenny Lind course at the University of Minnesota.
Your business focuses:
Primarily on redesign, using our lovely vintage wedding gowns to create custom-tailored, couture wedding dresses in size 00-22, using the “extra parts” (long sleeves, cathedral-length trains) to broaden bodices and contemporize necklines. We also sometimes remake family heirloom dresses that our brides bring in.
Be sure to visit Andrea at the Bonanza! We can’t wait to see what she’s brought!
Kim
