After suing bridal party for bad online reviews, KC dress shop may close its doors
A Kansas City bridal shop will likely close its doors after a series of negative online reviews, a libel lawsuit against a bride and her family, and a bankruptcy filing, according to the store’s owner.
Ashley Jones, owner of The One Bridal, 2110 Wyandotte Street, plans to have off-the-rack sales for sample dresses at the store and reach out to other shops that may be interested in buying The One Bridal’s inventory. The store is no longer accepting new orders.
Once pending orders are completed and her inventory is reduced, Jones said she may close the shop permanently.
“Right now we’re just trying to regroup,” Jones said. “Get everyone’s dress and try to handle it the best we can.”
Jones said negative online reviews were a factor that contributed to the shop’s drop in sales starting around September 2022. The reviews came from multiple customers, but Jones said some had never been to the shop.
That month, the store filed a libel lawsuit against bride Alix Schiraldi and her bridal party, saying they left untrue and defamatory reviews online about their experience at The One Bridal.
The lawsuit stemmed from a series of problems starting in August 2022, when Schiraldi called the store, worried her dress wouldn’t be ready in time for her wedding in October, according to the lawsuit filed in Johnson County District Court.
Store employees told her that her gown was in the quality control phase and would arrive within the month, the lawsuit said. Schiraldi had also visited the store multiple times for answers on the status of her gown.
The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in January 2023. Jones said both sides agreed not to discuss the situation further.
Last week, FOX4 wrote about another bride who was without her dress from The One Bridal five weeks before her wedding. The bride told FOX4 that the designer had her dress prepared, but didn’t send it because she hadn’t received payment from The One Bridal.
‘It was not our intention to close’
Jones said she looked to downsize after the lawsuit and moved the shop from its Lenexa location to a Kansas City spot.
Before moving to its Kansas City location, the shop owed more than $40,000 in rent and other expenses to its landlord in Lenexa, according to Johnson County court records.
The store filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May “to reorganize and lower our overheard costs,” the store said in a statement to customers on its website.
Jones told The Star that she is the only person working at The One Bridal as she could no longer afford to employ staff. She is working to contact brides and answer questions regarding their pending orders.
“We have since been working to move forward in a more solid position,” the store said. “It was not our intention to close the store and we were still focused on providing dresses for our brides.”
Jones encouraged anyone with concerns to contact the store, but said it hasn’t been possible to answer all of the calls they’ve received. Emails and voicemails will be answered as quickly as possible.
According to its site, the store is open from Thursday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. by appointment only.
