VIRGINIA BEACH — Erica Krakosky thought she’d found her perfect wedding dress at House of Maya.
Now, when she looks at pictures of the Pronovias ball gown, all she feels is stress.
Krakosky said she paid about $3,500 for the wedding dress, a veil and jewelry in January and was told that it would be ready for her to pick up in June; however, the deadline passed, and when she called the business no one picked up the phone.
She finally got in touch with someone at House of Maya on Aug. 24, but that person said they didn’t know where her dress was. The next day, business owner Maya Holihan locked the doors of the bridal salon without telling her customers.
“They literally made us pay in full,” Krakosky said. “It’s upsetting.”
Krakosky is one of more than 35 brides who contacted Southside Daily last week after the news outlet reported that Holihan relinquished her business assets to Old Point National Bank and the store was closed.
Krakosky is also one of several brides who told Southside Daily that their dresses were paid for in full, but never ordered by House of Maya.
Now the 27-year-old bride says her parents are left to dispute more than $5,000 charged to a credit card for her bridal gown, a flower girl dress and dresses for her mother and mother in law purchased at House of Maya
“They never ordered it,” Krakosky said of her wedding gown. “The (dress) manufacturer had no idea what we were talking about.”
Holihan closed House of Maya about six months after she announced that she would be bringing the business to 258 Granby St. as a consolidated headquarters for four of her salons: Pure English Couture Bridal, Silk Social Occasion, Maya Couture and Maya Couture on Main.
Holihan touted the 13,000-square-foot shop as a place that would allow for more “streamlined and efficient” operations; however, Southside Daily uncovered court documents that show the move came in the midst of 10 civil actions filed against Holihan by her landlords at all four salon locations, as well as a credit card company an ex-employees.
To date, Southside Daily has uncovered more than $200,000 of debt that Holihan owes in unpaid rent, credit and employee wages.
When Old Point took over House of Maya, there were 135 wedding pieces — gowns, bridesmaids dresses and veils — in the store; however, bank spokeswoman Laura Wright couldn’t confirm how many dress orders were pending or hadn’t been placed altogether.
The bank has been working to get the wedding pieces to their owners.
Wedding community extends helping hand
When Krakosky discovered that House of Maya closed without warning to the brides, she went into panic mode.
“I sat in my car and cried for 45 minutes,” she said.
After shedding some tears, Krakosky decided to make an appointment with 32-year-old Alexandra Fleear and her team at Ava Clara Couture Bridal. Together, they found Krakosky another Pronovias ball gown that was a little less costly for her November wedding.
Fleear is one of the several people in the bridal business who has extended a helping hand to brides impacted by the House of Maya closure. She said she’s heard from at least 25 brides since the news broke, and so far has been able to outfit eight.
Fleear has extended her shop’s hours and opened on Sunday when she would typically be closed. She’s also written letters to banks to help brides dispute credit card charges for dresses that weren’t ordered or delivered.
“This experience was better than I could have imagined,” Krakosky said of shopping at Ava Clara. “They really made it feel like it was the first time finding a dress.”
In the upcoming days, Fleear will also welcome Adam Yaseen to her shop located at 401 North Great Neck Road. Yaseen owns Durham-based Lori London Bridal Millinery and is a former House of Maya vendor who says Holihan still owes him about $1,800.
Together, Fleear and Yaseen will host a “ready-to-wear” sale at Ava Clara that will feature gowns that can be purchased for a discount off the rack. Yaseen will bring a host of veils, head pieces and accessories that he will offer at large discounts.
The sale will take place over the course of two weekends: Sept 8-10 and Sept 23-24.
“We have a longstanding policy of ‘No Bride Left Behind’ and want all brides to feel beautiful on their special day,” Yaseen wrote in a news release.
Fleear has also started working with Melanie Cornelisse, a former House of Maya seamstress who sued Holihan for nearly $7,000 in unpaid wages in June. Cornelisse is offering brides with a House of Maya receipt 25 percent off of their alterations.
For brides looking for a quick fix, Ashley McAchran’s Virginia Beach store Here & Now Bridal offers designer dresses off the rack for between 40 and 80 percent less than retail prices.
McAchran is also the owner of Studio I Do Bridals and All the Rage in Virginia Beach, where she’s offering discounted rush orders for brides who won’t have their House of Maya gowns.
In Hampton, Michelle Ellis is offering House of Maya brides a 50 percent discount on custom made wedding dresses her business McEllis Brides. Ellis said that she works with a team of seamstresses who can do gown replicas if a bride is stuck on the original dress she ordered from House of Maya.
“I haven’t seen a picture yet that we couldn’t do,” she said.
Send news tips to adrienne.m@wydaily.com.
