Sisters Partner in Thriving Bridal Shop Business
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday March 20, 2017 18:00
The self-sponsored business is trading under Kalahari Bridals and started operating in March last year. Co-owner of the company, Matsila said their business is a bridal store, which is a one-stop shop for all the bridal merchandise.
“Our products include wedding gowns, shoes for the bride and bridesmaids, bridesmaid dresses, veils, jewellery-neck, ear pieces and bridal hair accessories to name only but a few,” she said.
The entrepreneur said since the establishment of the company, they have enjoyed phenomenal growth in a short period of time supported by their marketing activities. Matsila said the challenges they faced in obtaining their own exceptional classic wedding gowns locally when they got married in 2011 and 2012 galvanised them to start the business.
“During our own wedding preparations it was difficult to source gowns and the accessories we wanted locally. I ended up getting my gown in South Africa and Osego got hers in the United States of America (USA) where she is currently staying,” she said.
The fashionista and businesswoman added that they realised that there was a gap in the bridal market industry, which leads to massive wedding merchandise to be purchased outside the country.
She further said getting gowns outside the country proved to be very expensive, as it involved traveling for fitting sessions and importation costs. She added that the situation influenced them to introduce Kalahari Bridals in order to close the gap of importation of wedding merchandise especially gowns across boarders in order to bring services and products closer to Batswana.
Matsila disclosed that their business is located in Gaborone at the Northgate Mall, opposite Sebele Mall and they are considering spreading their wings and establishing other shops across the country because for the duo businesswomen the sky is the limit.
The enthusiast business owner said she holds a Honours Degree in Computer System Engineering from the University of Sunderland and Osego pursued a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from South University in USA.
“Our degrees though not 100% related to the business play a big role in our everyday running of the business. “Its through Information Technology (IT) background that it’s easy to use systems that give both of us 100% connection and involvement in the business despite the distance of the other partner,” she said.
The entrepreneur added that they just completed an online course on Bridal Salon Manager Certificate, which provided in-depth information on all aspects of starting, owning and managing a bridal salon.
Matsila revealed that they have signed contracts with international brands in USA such as Karelina Sposa, Couture d’ Amour, Moda Bella, Unspoken Romance among others.
She further said they are authorised retailers of the mentioned brands in Southern African. She indicated that they purchase some of their products from countries such as South Africa, Thailand and China.