This summer we wanted to do a series of posts about some of the most inspiring female business owners around the state. These women have worked hard to operate their own businesses that provide amazing products and services to customers across the state. To kick off this series, we wanted to spotlight our friends and new owners at Bridle Path, Janie, Audrey, and Amelia Jarvis. Keep reading to hear from Audrey!
{Tell us a little bit about y’all!}
Amelia and I have loved growing up in Madison, MS! We both graduated from Madison Central High School and went on to Mississippi State University. Our mom, Janie graduated from MSU as well with a degree in business/finance. I graduated college this past May, with a degree in fashion design & merchandising. Amelia is pursuing a degree in elementary education but plans to work here after she graduates. We’re a family of four, us three + our dad and we couldn’t be closer! As a family, we love to take trips especially to the mountains to go skiing. Our dad is the biggest supporter of all our adventures!
{What can Bridal Path offer brides?}
For the past 47 years, Bridal Path has been selling dresses to women all over the south. We have a wide selection of bridal gowns, mother’s gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, accessories, and even in house alterations. A few things that stick out about our store is that we have a wide price range no matter your budget. From the highest price to the lowest, we have stunning gowns! We also pride ourselves on our customer service and one-on-one assistance. With each appointment, we have a devoted consultant that is there to serve our brides! Our mission is for every bride to leave with her dream gown and a happy heart!
{What lead y’all to take over as owners of the Bridal Path}
Ever since I was young, I have dreamed of owning my own bridal store. The summer after my freshman year in college, Gail Savage (the previous owner) hired me. I quickly fell in love with this summer job and worked any holidays I was home. Amelia got involved her junior year of high school. I had been selected to serve as an orientation leader for the summer and would not be able to work so I told Amelia to take my place. She also fell in love with the business and worked every day after school. I always figured I’d come back and work here after college, so as graduation approached, Gail reached out and told us she wanted to sell the business. My mom, sister, and I knew how much fun it would be to work together and we decided to buy it! It’s truly incredible having a family that not only supports me but also shares my dreams. I can’t describe the way it feels to wake up everyday so excited to go to play dress up all day. I am so blessed to live my dream right out of college next to my best friends!
Amelia and I have loved growing up in Madison, MS! We both graduated from Madison Central High School and went on to Mississippi State University. Our mom, Janie graduated from MSU as well with a degree in business/finance. I graduated college this past May, with a degree in fashion design & merchandising. Amelia is pursuing a degree in elementary education but plans to work here after she graduates. We’re a family of four, us three + our dad and we couldn’t be closer! As a family, we love to take trips especially to the mountains to go skiing. Our dad is the biggest supporter of all our adventures!
{What can Bridal Path offer brides?}
For the past 47 years, Bridal Path has been selling dresses to women all over the south. We have a wide selection of bridal gowns, mother’s gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, accessories, and even in house alterations. A few things that stick out about our store is that we have a wide price range no matter your budget. From the highest price to the lowest, we have stunning gowns! We also pride ourselves on our customer service and one-on-one assistance. With each appointment, we have a devoted consultant that is there to serve our brides! Our mission is for every bride to leave with her dream gown and a happy heart!
{What lead y’all to take over as owners of the Bridal Path}
Ever since I was young, I have dreamed of owning my own bridal store. The summer after my freshman year in college, Gail Savage (the previous owner) hired me. I quickly fell in love with this summer job and worked any holidays I was home. Amelia got involved her junior year of high school. I had been selected to serve as an orientation leader for the summer and would not be able to work so I told Amelia to take my place. She also fell in love with the business and worked every day after school. I always figured I’d come back and work here after college, so as graduation approached, Gail reached out and told us she wanted to sell the business. My mom, sister, and I knew how much fun it would be to work together and we decided to buy it! It’s truly incredible having a family that not only supports me but also shares my dreams. I can’t describe the way it feels to wake up everyday so excited to go to play dress up all day. I am so blessed to live my dream right out of college next to my best friends!
 Audrey Jarvis |  Audrey plays dress up as a young girl. |
{What inspires y’all on a day to day basis}
As cheesy as it sounds, the smile on a bride’s face when she sees herself in her dress. Some days are tough and you can imagine the craziness that comes with ordering and alterations at any retail store, but the joy that comes over a bride when she finds her dress is so rewarding. I love to know people’s stories and truly form a friendship with the families I help. It’s those moments that keep us going. This has always been my dream so it doesn’t feel like work to me. Because it is all I ever wanted to do, I honestly can’t ask for anything more! I’m also inspired by fashion and trends which is a lot of what this industry revolves around. Staying on top of these things and offering them to brides of the south is so fun!
{What is it like being a female business owner in Mississippi?}
I think it’s fun to be a business owner in Mississippi specifically, because everyone knows everyone and it’s fun to make connections with the person you’re helping. There’s a sense of small town community, and it’s so helpful being good friends with other people in our industry. We are close with several people who own venues or event planning businesses and it’s fun to refer people to each other!
One of the advantages of being a Bridal Path owner is having people come in from all over the state that are second or third generation Bridal Path brides. Another advantage of being our age and running this type of store is that many brides are around our age, so we relate to them well and we can treat them the way we would want to be treated.
{What’s it like working alongside your family?}
Honestly, it is the best thing we could ask for! It’s great because we understand each other so well and we play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Our mom is the backbone of it all. She’s great at managing, keeping tabs on everything, and dealing with finances. Amelia is great at knowing what and how much to order. She is patient when it comes to customers and any problems we run into. I enjoy the creative side of things and tying everything together. The customer service experience is what I enjoy the most. I love hosting people! We are all best friends which makes it so fun. We laugh because at market this past spring, we’d all take separate notes and when we went to compare we’d written all of the same things! It’s easy to work with people who know you and you know them well. We enjoy the job so much we go home and continue talking about it over dinner. Everything just flows together!
As cheesy as it sounds, the smile on a bride’s face when she sees herself in her dress. Some days are tough and you can imagine the craziness that comes with ordering and alterations at any retail store, but the joy that comes over a bride when she finds her dress is so rewarding. I love to know people’s stories and truly form a friendship with the families I help. It’s those moments that keep us going. This has always been my dream so it doesn’t feel like work to me. Because it is all I ever wanted to do, I honestly can’t ask for anything more! I’m also inspired by fashion and trends which is a lot of what this industry revolves around. Staying on top of these things and offering them to brides of the south is so fun!
{What is it like being a female business owner in Mississippi?}
I think it’s fun to be a business owner in Mississippi specifically, because everyone knows everyone and it’s fun to make connections with the person you’re helping. There’s a sense of small town community, and it’s so helpful being good friends with other people in our industry. We are close with several people who own venues or event planning businesses and it’s fun to refer people to each other!
One of the advantages of being a Bridal Path owner is having people come in from all over the state that are second or third generation Bridal Path brides. Another advantage of being our age and running this type of store is that many brides are around our age, so we relate to them well and we can treat them the way we would want to be treated.
{What’s it like working alongside your family?}
Honestly, it is the best thing we could ask for! It’s great because we understand each other so well and we play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Our mom is the backbone of it all. She’s great at managing, keeping tabs on everything, and dealing with finances. Amelia is great at knowing what and how much to order. She is patient when it comes to customers and any problems we run into. I enjoy the creative side of things and tying everything together. The customer service experience is what I enjoy the most. I love hosting people! We are all best friends which makes it so fun. We laugh because at market this past spring, we’d all take separate notes and when we went to compare we’d written all of the same things! It’s easy to work with people who know you and you know them well. We enjoy the job so much we go home and continue talking about it over dinner. Everything just flows together!
 Audrey (left), Janie (center), and Amelia (right) Jarvis. |  |
{What woman do you find most inspirational?}
I would say Mayor Mary Butler of Madison. She began her career as mayor when she was around my age and has held that position since. She inspires me in the way that she’s always stuck to her ideals and stood up for what she believed in. No matter who doubts her or disagrees with her, she does what she thinks is best and her success is evident in how beautiful she has kept Madison looking and running! She is also a dear friend of our mom’s and she has been able to speak confidence and encouragement into my life.
{Do you have an advice for anyone considering opening their own business?}
It’s scary but so worth it! I love having control over what we sell, what it looks like, our customer service, etc. If you are someone who enjoys managing and controlling things I say go for it because if you can find a job where you wake up and love it every single day, then do it! It’s twice as much work as you think but it’s 100x more fun!
{What's your favorite thing about working in the wedding industry?}
My favorite thing about this side of the wedding industry is that it’s almost impossible to pick out your own wedding dress (I sure couldn’t!). The customer service side of things I’ve mentioned is so key here because brides trust you to find what is best for them. Building relationships with the brides is so important because you must get to know them in order to truly help them. I love to see each unique vision come to life.
I also love how many ways you can make a white dress look incredibly different! The same dress can look different on any person and with each woman it still looks great! The personality of each bride shines through different dresses, and I love to watch that. The wedding industry in Mississippi is even more fun because a wedding is such a special milestone for a southern woman. Playing a part in that is so rewarding.
Because Amelia and I are young and on top of trends, we know just what today's’ bride wants to see. We provide it all, from the traditional bride to the boho bride and everything in between! We believe in this industry it is important to genuinely care about your brides instead of just trying to sell them something. Bridal retail is different than normal retail because it is all about them and their special day. We’d love for you to stop by the store and meet us or let us know if we can help you in any way! We are remodeling the store this summer, and will have a grand reopening soon. Look out for the announcement! To make an appointment, visit our website www.bridalpathinc.com or call us at (601) 982-8267.
The Bridal Path is located on the first floor of Banner Hall 4465 Interstate 55 N. Jackson, MS 39216
Photos: Allison Muirhead Photography
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