Daily Inspiration: Meet Megan Dinnerstein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Dinnerstein.

Hi Megan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hi! I’m Megan, owner, and sole employee (for now) of Camelia Bridal! I am from Brooklyn, NY, and took a chance on pursuing my dream career of bridal styling in 2019. I was previously nannying, waitressing, and doing random jobs and internships after graduating from Barnard/Columbia University, and I needed to pivot into an industry that could provide me with more long-term career growth. Bridal fashion seemed like a long shot, but I ended up getting hired as the front desk concierge at a lovely consignment bridal shop in Manhattan, and I immediately felt like I had found my calling.

I shadowed the stylists and quickly started styling brides myself, while also learning the back-end operational aspects of running a consignment bridal boutique. I became the assistant manager of operations and was thrilled to be in charge of the task of selecting inventory for the boutique from designer samples and former brides.

Then, COVID-19 hit NYC hard and fast, and my workplace was shut down. After a few months of unemployment and taking on remote customer service work (which I still do full-time!), I decided to slowly start an online and pop-up bridal boutique selling my own designs, consigned items, and made-to-order items by independent designers on the rise. I did a few craft & wedding vendor fairs, and rented out a storefront in Philadelphia for a weekend–but I began to realize that I really needed a “permanent” home so that people knew where to find me to try on my wares, and a place where people could drop off their used dresses and feel confident that they were in good hands.

During an impulsive vacation to Phoenix in the summer of 2022, I was browsing Craiglist for retail spaces, and I came across one at Desert Sun Plaza that looked adorable, and just barely affordable, for someone like me who funds their business with their “day job”. The listing would not leave my mind, so I took a tour and had an immediate gut feeling that this was Camelia Bridal’s home. After a few weeks of agonizing over the decision, I signed the lease for the store and uprooted myself from NYC to Phoenix–alone, and have never lived on my own, never mind on my own across the country.

However, this move and this city have been exactly what I needed. Every challenge, hard day of missing loved ones, every time I barely make it to my next paycheck afloat, is worth it. Knowing that I am going to help brides of all sizes, from all walks of life, find unique and beautiful bridal attire while saving dresses from landfills and supporting small bridal brands in their growth is enough to get me through the rough patches.

And, the community of small businesses & artists that I stumbled into on Grand Avenue has been more than I ever could have hoped for. We watch out for each other, promote each other’s services and goods, and we have a shared passion for being a part of making Phoenix an even cooler and more fun place to live and visit!

Now, I’m ready to take brides (and more dresses!), and I am thrilled that I followed my intuition time and time again until I landed in the heart of Phoenix!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The struggles have been immense!

I am a New Yorker through and through, so being in Phoenix has been a culture shock, the weather has taken getting used to, and I don’t have a driver’s license yet so I am moving big items by myself back and forth from my house and store in (pricey) Ubers!

Also, starting a business costs more and takes more time and effort than you expect, of course–so I have been delayed and re-routed a million times, but I just keep going!

Getting the word out about my business with no connections here is also taking time, but I think that I have already made a good amount of business (and potential customer) contacts just by having a permanent location that people can pass by and notice, and through social media.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known for having dresses and accessories that aren’t always your standard, cookie-cutter dresses that you can find at any bridal store in the USA. I have discontinued items, one-of-a-kind things, and colorful/alternative dresses!

I also try to have plus-sized items and petite items, so that people who generally have trouble buying bridal gowns off-the-rack can walk out of my store with something great!

And, I try to work with designers that do produce their items in sizes over 14–including the manufacturers, I work with for my own designs–so I don’t have to turn away customers because of size. Size discrimination is a HUGE issue in the bridal industry (and the fashion industry as a whole), so I always want to be conscious of this.

My other main focus is to reduce waste, so everyone knows that I am happy to take a dress forgotten in a closet or parts from a damaged or out-of-style item, and give them a new life! Buying something that was already made (for a bridal showroom, fashion show, or for another bride) means that you’re saving the materials that would have been used to create something new just for you, and less energy will be used to ship it! I’m all for getting what you want on your wedding day, but you really can get something pre-worn that is amazing!

Going forward, I want to be known as someone who is an active part of the Downtown Phoenix community, and someone who can eventually give back in ways like dress donations, contributing to local non-profits, providing jobs, and more!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was creative, artistic, self-motivated, and imaginative when I was alone, but an occasionally rebellious “class clown” (with a perpetually daring wardrobe) at school. I would question authority a lot, and that made teachers not always fond of me, but I really didn’t like to tolerate injustice or unfairness in the name of being a “good kid”. I always told it like it was, and if I didn’t speak my truth, my facial expressions did the talking for me.

I was friends with kids from all different friend groups, and I did many different types of extra-curricular activities. Exploring what every person and every endeavor had to offer gave me a multi-faceted view of life, and that has always been important to me. There are many ways to look at and approach every problem or task, and looking at things from another’s eyes can be extremely helpful!

I also always wanted to make people laugh and make them feel included and cared for. I also channeled this into taking care of children as a babysitter, camp counselor, assistant teacher, et cetera, for my teens and early 20s. Now, being a customer service professional, though–in my day job and at Camelia Bridal–I think my lifelong “caretaking” personality has made me successful.

The customers’ interests and needs are always at the forefront of my mind, and I want everyone to feel like a priority, not just a paycheck for me–because they are a priority to me! If I wouldn’t want to be treated a certain way, I don’t treat my customers that way.

Pricing:

• Most dresses here run from $800-$4000
• Accessories range from $5-$500+
• Custom gowns and accessories vary, but are available on almost any budget!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cameliabridal.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/cameliabridal
• Other: tiktok.com/@camelia_bridal

Image Credits
Julia Joy