Armandria Mullen’s wedding dreams did not include losing her dress in an alterations shop fire less than two months before her big day.
The Scranton native and other brides are scrambling to replace their gowns after a malfunctioning dehumidifier ignited a smokey blaze Thursday morning at Shiraz Alteration Center in South Abington Twp. The owner and her daughter, who live upstairs from the basement shop, escaped the fire on Parkwood Avenue. The owner heard a popping noise and saw heavy smoke in the basement, said Fire Chief Sean Connolly of Chinchilla Hose Company.
Smoke damaged the back part of the basement, where firefighters saw a lot of dresses, Connolly said. Firefighters from the Abingtons, Taylor and Dickson City doused the flames in about 25 minutes.
Laura Roberts of Lackawanna County brought her wedding dress to Shiraz in April for $225 worth of minor alterations. She hoped to wear it when she and her husband celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary with a vow renewal in September. She learned Saturday from the shop that her dress was lost. Fabric from a T-shirt that belonged to her late grandfather, Stephen Fuchylo, had been stitched inside it.
Mullen chose her dress in April. The layered ballgown she purchased for about $2,000 from Vow Floral and Formal in Clarks Summit needed about $650 in alterations before her wedding July 24. Employees at Shiraz planned to take the dress in and hem it and told her to come back July 7 for a fitting.
“It was a significant gown,” Mullen said. “There was a lot to it.”
Her maid of honor told her about the fire Thursday night and she recognized the shop as she watched news footage of firefighters coming out of the basement. Her heart plummeted when she saw the fire damage.
“I just assumed the dress was gone” she said. “It was immediate tears and I’m not a crier, but it definitely got me.”
Mullen, who lives with her fiancé Kyle Pieczynski in Exeter, texted the shop via a number posted on its Facebook page but did not hear back. When the shop posted a list Saturday of the names of people whose clothing survived the fire, Mullen’s name wasn’t on it.
Mullen accepts her dress is gone. She hopes to be reimbursed and is willing to pay for another, more simple dress.
Rae Georgia, owner of Vow Floral and Formal, offered to order Mullen a new dress, working with the same designer to get it to her in time for her wedding. Her colleagues have offered her their own wedding dresses, and she has also received support from other women affected by the fire.
“I just feel surrounded by community,” Mullen said.
Tunis Bridal Shoppe in Scranton’s Minooka section offered replacement gowns, alterations and accessories to anyone affected by the fire.
Roberts is also looking for a new dress online and at several bridal boutique shops in the area.
The shop’s clients wonder whether insurance will cover their losses or if they will be reimbursed.
“I think a lot of us are ready to move on and accept it that our dresses are gone,” Mullen said. “I think the call to action is more so how are we going to replace some of these garments or just reimbursement and insurance information. There’s lots of questions around insurance. We’re just trying to get claim information or anything out of Shiraz so we can put in our claims, if we can.”
While the women understand the devastating impact on the business, they are unhappy with the lack of communication from the shop about their dresses.
“Many of us have not heard a single word,” Mullen said.
Efforts to reach Shiraz management for comment on the fire and the lost dresses were unsuccessful.