Kleinfeld is the legendary couture bridal salon founded in 1941 in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York. When Isadore Kleinfeld first opened its doors, furs were the main attraction, but it wasn't long before the shop’s fashionable wedding gowns look center stage. By 1968 the Kleinfeld company, under the direction of Isadore’s daughter Hedda and her husband, Jack, was specializing in bridal wear and had become a mecca for brides-io-be, who counted on Kleinfeld to bring them the largest selection of gowns in the world.
and evening dresses; they caused a sensation. Hedda told us that running Kleinfeld was “like hosting a huge party every day.
We passed on the opportunity to get involved with Kleinfeld but not for long. Some years later, after we had es-
We had the privilege of seeing Hedda and Jack Schachter in action. This was back in the 1980s, when one of us (Mara) had the position of senior vice president of Saks Fifth Avenue. Hedda and Jack were thinking about selling Kleinfeld, and we had been coaxed by a potential buyer lo “lake a look'' at the famous salon in Brooklyn. We went, and there they were, running around, still 500 percent involved with their brides. Hedda wore black Reebok sneakers, a tartan skirt, and a tape measure around her neck. She was a brilliant woman, truly the fashion maven of bridal. She was the first American bridal store owner to go to Europe and hand-pick designer gowns.
tablished our own consulting company, we were contacted by the Boston-based corporation that had bought Kleinfeld. They were looking for a high-end retail executive to help guide the salon into the twenty-first century. In July 1999, we joined with our principal partners—Hollywood actor/mogul Wayne Rogers, entrepreneur and former Duke University business professor W. Clay Hamner, and our friend and attorney Marvin Goldstein—and a handful of close friends and favorite relatives and bought Kleinfeld outright. One of our first tasks was to give the space a major makeover.
Today, Kleinfeld looks from the outside like a small, exclusive boutique with artistic window displays. Inside, the thirty-thousand-square-foot Kleinfeld is not just a salon but an emporium. Close to one thousand designer dresses—including fairy-tale ball gowns, contemporary sheaths, and an exclusive European couture collection—are displayed in elegant showrooms. Behind the doors at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street in Brooklyn, clients are lavished with the kind of personal attention usually reserved for queens and celebrities. At the salon, the bride is invited into her own fitting room.