Majoring in fashion merchandising at Albright, with a degree in business administration already under her belt, senior Kira Kolbe ’21 was very specific in her drive to intern at a bridal shop. But searching for that experience in the middle of a pandemic was tough. Many shops were closed; internships were hard to come by.
“When I ran out of options, I googled bridal shops near me and discovered The Bridal Studio! It had only been open for a year, which is why I wasn’t aware of it,” said Kolbe, who immediately contacted the owner and set up an interview. “I took my resume with me. The interview went very well, and Emily hired me on the spot!”
Owned and operated by Emily Gordon, The Bridal Studio is a modern bridal salon in the heart of downtown Schuylkill Haven, Pa. And for Kolbe, the internship pairing turned out to be a perfect match.
“I planned my education knowing that I wanted to have my own bridal boutique,” explained Kolbe. “So interning at a startup was perfect for me. And taking this internship during a pandemic was probably one of the best things that I could have done, because it taught me how things work in a time like this and how businesses must adapt to survive … helping to prepare me for owning my own bridal fashion business.”
In addition to shadowing and assisting Emily, Kolbe sold gowns, wrote website content and created social media graphics.
“Emily has been a great mentor,” said Kolbe. “Not only does she help me understand how a bridal business is run, but she really has a handle on self-promotion and advertising and has taught me some best practices. She reinforced things that I already knew and helped to guide me through advertising and interacting with the local Chamber of Commerce.”
“I learned that I definitely do love bridal fashion and want that to be my future,” said Kolbe. “Ten years from now, I hope to have my own Bridal Boutique, using tips that Emily taught me!”
