A second bridal shop has collapsed this week with the owner saying they had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.
The Adelaide-based shop Bridal Fusion by Mascia announced on Thursday afternoon it was holding a liquidation sale.
‘Bridal fusion by Mascia liquidation sale on now,’ the social media post reads.
‘Over 700 gowns and accessories out for liquidation! Also fixtures and fittings for sale as priced.’
Gowns are selling for as little as $100, $200 or $300, when some of the dresses originally had a retail price of $8000.
The company was operated under a sole trader registration by Mascia Paradiso.
Adelaide wedding retailer Bridal fusion by Mascia (wedding dress for the store pictured) has gone bust
Customers mourned the business’s demise.
‘Absolutely gorgeous dresses absolute shame u are closing such a lovely person too,’ one wrote.
Ms Paradiso told news.com.au she had filed for bankruptcy because of a combination of factors that mean she just ‘couldn’t hang on’.
‘The business has closed down, we’re getting rid of stock,’ the mother said.
‘Due to the fact of Covid and a marriage breakdown as well as storms and a lot of outside issues, and also personal stress and problems, I decided to declare bankruptcy.’
Ms Paradiso said if everything isn’t sold by July 30, she will donate what’s left.
The store is having a clearance sale of all its stocks and fittings with wedding gowns going for as little as $100
‘I’m also getting rid of mirrors, fixtures, fittings, a gothic lounge. Everything you see has to go,’ she said.
On Facebook, Bridal Fusion by Mascia has more than 7000 followers, and a 4.7 out of 5 star rating.
The business has been in operation since 2016 but had been shut down since February.
At the time of closure, Ms Paradiso was the sole employee although at one time the retailer employed peak nine staff.
On Monday another wedding specialist, The Bridal Atelier which had shops in Sydney and Melbourne, also went into liquidation leaving hundreds of would-be brides in the lurch.
The owner of the store said a combination of factors meant she couldn’t hang onto the business any longer
Georgia Schroeder, the company’s retail and operations manager, said she was a ‘broken woman’ in a lengthy LinkedIn post on Monday.
Since the shutdown, she has received ‘hundreds’ of calls from devastated brides-to-be ‘crying and begging’ about their gowns and the loss of money’.
‘The past few days have been the toughest I’ve ever had to deal with professionally and personally,’ she wrote.
‘Being hired as the new Retail and Operations manager at the Bridal Atelier was a dream come true. Or so I thought…
‘After less than two months in the role I received a text on Friday notifying me that the company was closing – effective immediately.’
The Bridal Atelier, which has stores in Sydney and and Melbourne, entered liquidation with a public notice posted to ASIC’s website on Monday
Ms Schroeder claimed the store owner has ‘disconnected her phone’ leaving her to field hundreds of calls from brides desperate for answers.
She said hundreds if not thousands of brides had been left without their dresses.
‘They have no website, they have no social media, and they have not communicated to any brides that they are closing down or to pick up dresses that are fully paid for,’ she said.
‘They have not advertised anywhere that they are closing down.’
