45 Years of Wedding Shoppe History

1977: The Beginning

In 1977, Jim and Lois Fritz opened the Wedding Shoppe on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul, MN. Grand Ave is famous for its small businesses, many located in Victorian style houses.

At the time, wedding retailers were mostly specialized, forcing brides and grooms to shop at several different specialty shops to find all their wedding needs. So, the Fritzs developed the concept of "Your One Stop Wedding Shoppe!"®. They hoped to create an establishment that had the charm, service, and selection of a specialty store, while carrying all the merchandise and services necessary for a wedding.

1980: Doubling In Size

The Wedding Shoppe has always received the majority of its business through referrals from satisfied customers. As these referrals increased, so did the Wedding Shoppe’s business. Jim and Lois doubled the size of the retail store on the south side of Grand Avenue to accommodate the increase in business.

1985: Alterations Building

To create more space for dress alterations, a separate custom fittings building is opened at 1201 Grand Avenue.

1991: Corporate Office

With more satisfied brides and increased business, the corporate office opened at 1197 Grand Avenue to provide brides with a superior call center and customer service. Unlike many bridal salons, the Wedding Shoppe provides trained customer service. Their only job is to track your order from start to finish and answer any questions during the process.

1995: Second Retail Store

The Wedding Shoppe continues to expand, purchasing 1192 Grand Avenue, and connecting it to the original retail store. This expansion significantly increases the size of the retail space.

2000: Online Presence

The first generation Wedding Shoppe website is launched. It provided brides with basic info about the bridal salon.

2006: Awards & Recognition

The Wedding Shoppe wins the highest lifetime achievement award in the bridal industry, Outstanding Retailer of the Year, given by the National Bridal Market Association. Bridal designers vote to select one outstanding bridal salon.

2007: Company Growth

The Wedding Shoppe reaches 50 employees.

The Wedding Shoppe continues to win more local and national awards including Best of Weddings by the Knot, Best Place to Buy Bridal Gowns and Accessories by Minnesota Bride Magazine, and Best Bridal by CitySearch.

2008: Features & Awards

In 2008, the Wedding Shoppe wins Best Place to Buy Attendant Dresses & Accessories and Best Place to Buy Bridal Gowns by Minnesota Bride. The Shoppe also wins Best on a Budget by The Knot.

The Wedding Shoppe partners with Kleinfield NY to sell Alita Graham and is featured on The Wedding Guys.

2009: Online Store

To provide brides around the world with the same selection and service, the Wedding Shoppe launches a complete e-commerce and wedding planning web site.

In 2009, the Wedding Shoppe wins Best of Weddings and Best on a Budget by The Knot.