Maya on Main expands
Published 9:01 pm Thursday, October 22, 2015
A successful first year at Maya Couture on Main in Suffolk meant owner Maya Holihan knew she would have to expand her space.
Maya Holihan, pictured in her Main Street shop earlier this year, will host a grand opening on Monday to celebrate expanding her business into the neighboring space.
The bridal studio, which opened in January 2014, was doing so well that Holihan requested the first right of refusal for a neighboring space to be built into her new lease in January of this year.
“Little did I know it was going to come available so quickly,” she said of the neighboring space, at 149 N. Main St., which most recently was Simply Susan’s Bakery and Café.
Simply Susan’s closed in July.
“The timing was perfect, because I really did need to expand here already,” Holihan said.
This year, Holihan started offering special occasion dresses for things like prom and black-tie affairs.
“They were coming in droves,” Holihan said of young women looking for prom dresses. She said she was torn between her emotions, which told her, “Just focus on brides, because that’s what you love,” and her business sense, which told her she was missing out on a niche in the market.
“I really felt like Suffolk was the place to start” offering special occasion wear, she said.
It makes a lot of sense for a bridal shop also to offer special occasion dresses, Holihan added.
“There’s a lot of crossover” between bridesmaid and special-occasion gowns, she said. “It just depends on the style.”
She also believes a young girl who has a good experience shopping for prom will come back years down the road when it’s time to get married, earning her a customer for life.
The new location will serve brides exclusively because the lighting is a bit brighter.
“We want our whites and ivories to be bright and our crystals to be glistening under the light,” Holihan said.
With three dressing rooms, it will offer an intimate environment for brides.
“She can really be at peace and emotionally connect with her guests, with our sales consultant and ultimately with the gown,” Holihan said.
The old location will serve as the special-occasion shop, as well as for bridesmaids and mothers of the bride, Holihan said. It will offer a more fun environment for groups of young girls and others.
“It can be a fun, almost upbeat experience,” she said.
A grand opening is planned for Oct. 26 from 5 to 9 p.m. It is open to the public, and guests are invited to tour the store and inventory.
During the event, Holihan will also celebrate the launch of “House of Maya Presents the Wedding Planner Magazine,” which will publish annually.
