Bridal company plans NorthTown store

A 6-year-old bridal company based in Spokane Valley is opening a new store in NorthTown mall.

Celestial Selections opens Friday and will offer wedding gowns in addition to mother-of-the-bride and evening dresses, said Don Clifton, who owns the business with his wife, Erlene Clifton.

The store is located on the second floor, next to Mervyns, which is expected to close in January. Kohl’s Department Stores Inc. purchased the Mervyns building for $5 million last May.

Celestial Selections currently has a multi-shop complex on South Pines in Spokane Valley that features wedding apparel, prom dresses, an outlet shop and alterations.

Clifton said they wanted to expand into North Spokane and looked for a location for a year before representatives of NorthTown contacted them.

While it’s not common for wedding shops to locate in malls, Clifton said the couple weighed the benefits of high foot traffic against the increased operating costs and decided it was worthwhile.

“It’s about people walking past and going ‘Ooh, ahh, I want to go to that bridal store,’ ” he said.

When it comes to weddings, Clifton said the peak season for his store arrives in February, when brides order dresses for the upcoming summer wedding season. While some dresses are sold off the rack and altered, others are made based on the bride’s measurements.

Those dresses are made in overseas shops and then shipped back to bridal stores in the United States for final fitting — a process that can take a total of 10 to 14 weeks, he said.