J is a designer who is beloved by bridesmaids who no longer need to fear the purchase of the traditional bridesmaid’s dress. J’s passion was to create a line of understated, yet uniquely stylish quality bridesmaid dresses. Upon entering her showroom I was swept up in abundance of beautiful colors and soft textures of her fabrics. With simple, non-fussy, elegant style, I wished her dresses had been available when I was a bridesmaid!

J’s clear vision and motivation for redefining today’s bridesmaids has driven her company’s rapid success of recognition in the bridal industry. Since establishing her business in 2002, she had created a very successful niche in the bridal industry. Several of J’s dresses have been featured on NBC’s The Today Show in its “The Today Show Throws a Wedding” for the past three years and in 2005, her dresses won the prestigious top prize. And as most entrepreneurs know, with great success comes great challenges.

J had traditionally sold her dresses to boutiques and had a steady cash flow, giving her the ability to self-finance her business. The challenge came when she received a large order from Nordstrom. Knowing that she couldn’t bridge the gap between getting paid by the retailer and paying her factory, J approached her bank to increase her loan to assist with this specific order. As she soon found out, banks do not lend on specific transactions and the loan increase would have been insufficient to cover the payment to the factory. Her accountant began introducing her to traditional factors specializing in financing the garment industry. She soon discovered that all of those companies expected her to factor all of her business with them, including her boutique business, which was not what she was seeking. A banker who I had worked with for years introduced us. J was pleasantly surprised that she could select specific accounts to finance, such as her Nordstrom order, and that she wouldn’t be required to finance her boutique receivables with us.

J said, “The flexibility and speed in providing financing enabled me to accept large orders and grow my department store business. Knowing that I have a financing partner has allowed me to focus on what I do best, designing a beautiful line for the bridal party.” J, we are thrilled with your continued growth and success and know that bridesmaids everywhere salute you!