By Aki Soga, the Burlington Free Press, June 2001

Sewly Yours in corner spot

A locally owned bridal shop is taking over the space at the top of Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace.

Sewly Yours/Once Upon A Bride will move into 2 Church Street, at the corner of Church and Pearl streets, on July 7, said storeowner, Debbie LaFromboise.

“We are on the second floor right now, and we’re moving downstairs to that gorgeous space,” LaFromboise said.  “We’ve been up here for about eight years, and we’ve run out of space.”

The storefront has been empty since Banana Republic moved its store farther down the Marketplace in August.

Sewly Yours/Once Upon A Bride occupies 1,600 square feet spread out among several rooms.  The new store will be 3,100 square feet.

LaFromboise has been designing custom wedding gowns for about 20 years.  She opened her first shop in a 12-by-12 room connected to a fabric shop in Milton in 1988.  She opened Sewly Yours above Tina’s Home Design on Church Street in 1990, then moved into the current space in 1993.

In addition to custom-designed gowns, the business offers gowns by Priscilla of Boston, a high-end line starting at about $1,500.  LaFromboise also sells and restores antique gowns. 

“It is a huge part of our business,” she said of the antiques. “We have girls bringing in gowns dating back to the 1800s.”