Sincerely Susan, a wedding shop specializing in dresses for mothers of the bride, has taken over the former Bulk It space in Lenexa, growing its Old Town presence.

The new space offers a walk-in storefront facing the street at 13444 Santa Fe Trail Dr., with Sincerely Susan’s longtime warehouse space in the back, where customers can still browse thousands of dresses with the help of stylists.

Sincerely Susan started in owner’s basement

• About a decade ago, Susan Cooley and a friend, Kara Allen, who is now one of Sincerely Susan’s managers, began selling dresses on eBay.
• Two years later, they had outgrown Cooley’s basement and storage units, so they moved to a larger space in Old Town to store the dresses but remained a by-mail operation.
• Later on, Cooley started booking appointments for customers to consult with stylists and began putting an emphasis on mother of the bride dresses.
• After Bulk It closed last year, Sincerely Susan knocked down the walls that once divided their warehouse space from the other store to make one big shop.

The shop now has inventory of 7,000+ dresses

• All the dresses Sincerely Susan sells — for a variety of seasons and body types — are all $350 or less.
• It also sells all the accessories, shoes and jewelry to go with a dress.
• Sincerely Susan also sells more casual dresses that can be worn to events like bridal showers, as well as more formal wear for galas and other events.

The aim is to make ‘moms feel beautiful’

• Sincerely Susan is now a regional attraction, with customers flying in from all over the Midwest to shop there, and Cooley herself travels to bridal fairs outside of the Kansas City area
• “We really want to make sure we’re not prom, we don’t want them to look like the grandma, and we don’t want them in a traditional mother of the bride dress,” Cooley said. “It’s beautiful dresses [and] gowns that are modestly cut.”
• Each patron gets the full experience of working with stylists looking for dresses that would best suit them based on the wedding’s colors, formality level, season and the customer’s preferences.
• “The moms get treated like the brides do,” store manager Chelsea Wolfe said. “At the end of the day, we want them to feel just as special.”

Appointments are required

• Sincerely Susan still requires patrons to book free appointments, which can be made by calling (913) 730-8840.
• They usually last an hour-and-a-half, and guests are welcome to accompany you during your appointment.
• For more information, visit www.sincerelysusan.store.
• Some walk-in shopping is welcome, but only in the front of the retail store, where the more casual dresses are kept.

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