After owning the store since 2004, Joline Pearson has sold The Silhouette to Paige Umhoefer and Alexa Pearson. All three are pictured above, left to right, Joline, Paige and Alexa.

Since 1981, women searching for a bridal gown have come to the Silhouette for a great selection of beautiful dresses and the warmth and service that a small-town shop provides.

“My mother, Lois Kalis, actually began the business in 1981 on our farm south and east of Easton in a double-wide trailer,” Joline Pearson explains. “She had done a lot of sewing for weddings and made wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for people before she opened up her store.”

Since 1987, the Silhouette has been located on the Main Street of Easton. Joline and her sister Linda Johnson purchased the business from their mother in 2004.

“Linda was a silent partner,” Joline comments. “She had her own bridal store in Wayzata.”

And, now Joline and Linda are selling the Silhouette.

Alexa Pearson and Paige Umhoefer, both of Mankato, are the new owners. And yes, Alexa and Joline have the same last name, and they are related, but as Joline explains, “Alexa is more of a distant relative.”

Alexa and Paige are in-laws. Alexa married Paige’s brother.

The new owners each have experience in the bridal shop industry.

“My mom owns two bridal shops,” Paige says. “One is in Mankato and one is in New Ulm.”

Alexa shares she has been working in the bridal industry since 2009.

“I used to model in bridal shows and I worked as a stylist at a bridal shop in Minneapolis,” she comments. “I also have worked in catering, decorating and bartending. When I moved back to Mankato in 2014, I worked for Paige’s mom.”

Though they still live in the Mankato area, Paige shares she has spent a lot of time at the Pearson farm by Wells.

“And I would love to live in the area someday,” Alexa adds.

Both of the new owners are married, Paige to Robert and Alexa to Regan. Each family has three children.

Joline is excited to see a younger generation taking over the store.

“I think they will connect well with the younger generation,” she says. “They are ambitious and full of energy and they bring many new exciting ideas to the business.”

One of the changes will be in the hours the store is open.

“Currently, we have been open Monday through Saturday,” Paige comments. “But, we will be changing our hours to be open 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. We will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday. The biggest change we are making is we are going to be open on Sundays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.”

Alexa relays the reason for adding Sunday hours.

“Many brides arrange a destination shopping day and Sunday is a day that works well for some groups,” she explains.

The other change the duo has planned is a more visible one.

“Over the next six months we plan on doing a full remodel of the store,” Paige says. “We will stay open and work during the off hours. The plans are to replace the flooring, apply some fresh paint to the walls, add another bridal suite and a men’s area for tuxedos and add an area for bridesmaids.”

They are also going to add dresses from some other designers.

“We are going to keep the current designers because Joline always used great designers,” Alexa comments. “We are just going to add a little more variety.”

There are also plans to build a sererate alterations area. They will even have a familiar face performing the alterations.

“I am going to stay on and do the alterations,” Joline shares. “And Paige’s mother, Valerie, will also be performing alterations.”

The new owners have had to make some tough decisions because of the remodeling project.

“We will not have Prom dresses this year because of the remodeling project,” Paige states. “However, we will have them available at our Mankato location called Glitz Prom.”

That’s correct. This is not the first store these young entrepreneurs have owned.

“We have a great selection at our Mankato store,” Alexa adds. “Prices for a dress start at $150 and go up to $800, but most of the dresses range in price from $300-$400.”

The new owners say COVID did not affect the bridal dress business in a very negative way.

“People were still getting married. Maybe the wedding was smaller and not at the venue they wanted, but they still got married,” Paige comments.

“And here, in a farming community, the mentality changed in purchasing a dress and people made a decision,” Alexa adds. “Weddings became simpler and the focus is more on the bride now.”

They say the size of the wedding party also decreased for a short time, but not any longer.

“The number of bridesmaids in a wedding has come right back up,” Paige says.

Joline mentions the bridal business is an ever changing one.

“Styles are changing, wedding venues are changing and themes are changing,” she offers. “There is much more personalization in weddings than there was.”

“Millennials want unique weddings,” Alexa adds.

Joline shares it was the right time for her to get out of ownership.

“I am ready to spend more time with my grandchildren and my great-grandson,” she mentions.

But, she will miss certain aspects of owning the Silhouette.

“I got to know a lot of families and their children,” Joline comments. “To see flower girls grow up and have their own wedding is one thing I will really miss.”

The new owners also have their favorite parts of owning/operating a bridal shop.

“I love it when it finally clicks for a bride and she ends up falling in love with a dress she wasn’t expecting to like,” Alexa shares. “The new friendships that develop are also pretty special.”

But, as Paige notes, buying a wedding dress can be challenging.

“Some brides-to-be get too many opinions and they sometimes worry more about pleasing others than herself,” Paige says. “But with the choices available today, anything goes. You can get a dress with sparkles or lace. It can be very simple or very sleek. A bride can choose to really jazz it up. Most important, we have something for everyone from size six to size 30.”

The new owners and the former owner all have their own thoughts as the transition continues.

“I have always loved small towns and the connections you are able to make in a small town along with the opportunity to bring new ideas to the business,” Alexis comments.

“And even though we are changing the look inside of the store and bringing in new styles; we want to continue the great and friendly service Joline has brought to the area all of these years,” Paige adds.

“I just know the girls are going to do a great job. It is very exciting,” Joline concludes.