NORFOLK — In less than half an hour, the entire inventory and intellectual property that once made up House of Maya was sold for $150,000 to a Virginia Beach developer who plans to open a new “integrated” bridal shop in Norfolk.
Cataldo Builders owner Anthony Cataldo won the property — which included about $2.3 million in wedding dresses, formal wear and retail equipment alone — in an auction held at the 258 Granby Street storefront on Thursday.
Along with the inventory, Cataldo won the information of nearly 7,000 former House of Maya clients, vendor information and the rights to the business’ website, said Atlantic Assets Management Group owner William J. Summs. Atlantic Assets was hired by Old Point National Bank to host the auction.
Cataldo said that he and Diana Del Corso — a woman who has six years of experience in the bridal industry — plan to open an integrated bridal shop in an undisclosed location in Norfolk.
Their vision is a “one-stop shop” for brides who not only want a wedding dress, but other to-do list items like catering and flowers, Del Corso said, adding that she will be the manager of the store.
“I’m very excited for the challenge,” Del Corso said.
The auction came weeks after the bank began scrambling to outfit brides with their wedding dresses after store owner Maya Holihan shut the doors of the bridal shop without a word to her customers on Aug. 25.
The following week, Southside Daily uncovered 10 civil claims and lawsuits filed against Holihan that revealed she is more than $200,000 in debt to former employees, unpaid landlords, and American Express Bank.
Since that time Old Point has worked to outfit brides whose dresses were in the shop and direct brides whose orders were pending to the proper channels. About an hour before the auction was set to begin, Old Point employees manned the front desk of House of Maya trying to help a bride who was still without her dress.
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