Published February 2005

Beyond the Blue:
Downtown Everett shop carries
dress selection for any formal occasion

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

The opening of a new business is always a risky affair, but throw in a national tragedy and a declining economy and you have the environment that met Dale Preboski when she unveiled her shop, Beyond the Blue.

Snohomish County Business Journal/ KIMBERLY HILDEN One of the new trends in bridal wear is for a splash of color to go along with the traditional white or ivory gown, said Dale Preboski, owner of Beyond the Blue in downtown Everett. The shop, which is now in its fourth year, carries dresses from more than 20 manufacturers, including Alfred Angelo, Eternity, Maggie Sottero and Mary’s Bridal.

The downtown Everett store, which originally offered imported artwork and gifts as well as bridal wear, opened in September 2001, just as the United States was attacked by terrorists on the East Coast.

“It was awful. It was terrible,” Preboski said of the attacks and the consumer doldrums that followed. “The first three months were just deadly.”

But Preboski persisted, and in the months that followed, she learned that not only is tenacity vital to small-business success, but so, too, is the ability to turn on a dime. Although the original concept for Beyond the Blue, with its exotic and beautiful wares, allowed Preboski to share her love of other countries and cultures with the city of Everett, it was the wedding dresses and formal wear that customers were most interested in.

Heeding customer demand, Preboski retooled, growing her inventory of wedding wear to include more than 20 dress manufacturers, including Alfred Angelo, Eternity, Maggie Sottero and Mary’s Bridal.

The shop now caters not only to brides but members of the bridal party and attendees to such formal events as military balls, high school proms and holiday parties. Tuxedos also are available for purchase. Another growing market that Preboski didn’t anticipate when she first opened her store was formal wear for a quinceanera, a Hispanic celebration that marks a girl’s 15th birthday.

“I personally see every dress that’s in the store. That’s great fun for me — I get to do the buying,” said Preboski, noting that when selecting inventory, she considers women of all ages and sizes, and chooses dress styles flattering for each shape.

Thanks to word of mouth as well as marketing via direct mail, telephone directories and manufacturers’ ads in bridal magazines, Beyond the Blue draws clientele from Seattle and the Eastside as well as Snohomish County northward.

In September 2003, Preboski cleared out part of her shop to make way for a sister — make that brother — operation, with the opening of Blue’s Brother, which sells classic men’s wear and accessories.

Run by Preboski’s husband, Paul Kaftanski, Blue’s Brother is proving a good fit for Beyond the Blue.

“We saw Blue’s Brother as an incubator in the beginning,” Preboski said, noting that as demand grows for its inventory, the men’s shop most likely will expand to another location.

Today, more than three years after its disastrous opening, Beyond the Blue has survived a slow economy as well as a six-month period of road construction along adjacent Hewitt Avenue. The store seems to have found its niche, but the next year will prove to be a critical one for the business, Preboski said.

“The infrastructure is in place. ... Now it becomes more about is this what folks want and will support,” she said.

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