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Mara Bridal finds historic charm in new home

  • The corner house on Kelly Street dates back to 1880, and has hosted a lawyer and a doctor. Now, it will showcase dozens of special-occasion dresses curated by owner Tiffany Rottinghaus. Press photos by Kate Hayden

  • Behind the house, Rottinghaus has plans to transform the garage into a prom/homecoming and tuxedo studio, serving different needs for her customers throughout the year.

  • Samples of the featured collections, such as designer Justin Alexander, are already arriving as Rottinghaus and her contractors push through final renovation projects, aiming for a Nov. 25 soft-business opening.

  • The business name "Mara" stems from the names of Rottinghaus's female relatives — who have a first or middle name beginning with "Mar-".

  • Projects are still being undertaken inside the Mara Bridal home — but touches of a completed business are taking shape for Rottinghaus, who already has years of bridal fashion experience in her background.

  • Tiffany Rottinghaus won a 2017 Charles City Area Development Corp. Business Plan Competition and a $2,500 prize. Shown are, from left, CCADC business plan judges Frank Blaine and Paul Coonrod, Rottinghaus and Tim Fox, CCADC executive director. Judges commented that Rottinghaus's business plan is "exceptionally well researched, has significant market penetration data and, most importantly, justifiable projections."

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

The property that Tiffany Rottinghaus purchased in August has a bit of history tied to it — starting with Charles City founder Joseph A. Kelly, who accepted the property deed from the U.S. government in 1851.

“This house was built in 1880, and I know at one point it was a law office, it was a doctor’s office, it was a residence. I’m sure there was a lot that happened in-between,” Rottinghaus said.

Now, the home is breathing new life as the storefront to Rottinghaus’s dream business, Mara: a wedding and special-occasion formalwear retailer just a short walk from Main Street.

From the beginning, Rottinghaus wanted a design vision in mind to embrace the historic charm, while modernizing to showcase designer’s dresses, she said.

The house had challenges: there were radiators everywhere and no air-conditioning.

Levels of steps meant Rottinghaus and her contractors had to strategize for the most handicapped accessibility.

Working with an architectural firm in Mason City, Rottinghaus and a consultant did a walk-through of the home to identify what she could do to maintain the house style’s integrity while making updates.

“The whole concept of this is to bring that old-school hospitality, Southern charm with this house. Because it’s a house, you want to be more hospitable,” Rottinghaus said.

“It’s an upscale experience, but it’s small-town feel and charm.”

GROWING PASSION

Rottinghaus’s first experience with formalwear started as a high school student in Prairie du

Chien, Wisconsin, when she organized a prom dress resale at a second-hand retail store for girls in need of affordable dresses.

In college, Rottinghaus got herself hired at an Eau Claire bridal salon. After a year and a half the store closed, but the owner connected her with a nearby retailer, where she became the prom floor manager and buyer.

At 23, Rottinghaus accepted an offer to move to Minneapolis and begin working for a formal-wear vendor. During her career there, Rottinghaus served about 220 bridal and formal-wear stores throughout the upper Midwest.

Rottinghaus married her husband, David, in 2011 and started working for his family’s business, Zip’s Truck Equipment, where she focused on marketing and graphic design.

“I started to have more and more opportunities to learn what it took to make a retail business successful. Then one day I thought, ‘It’s time to focus on what I want to do and where my passion is,’” she said.

Rottinghaus left Zip to be a stay-at-home mom with her two boys for about a year.

Three months in, she started writing business plans, including what would eventually become Mara.

Rottinghaus ended up winning $2,500 in a business pitch contest hosted by the North Iowa Area Community College this year, and decided she was ready to act.

Working with a real estate agent, Rottinghaus was struggling to find a location that was big enough, with enough parking space — until her agent suggested approaching the owner of the house on Kelly Street.

“It worked out, and it was like magic,” Rottinghaus said.

FIXER-UPPER

Two months into renovations, Rottinghaus has re-arranged the home’s layout to create a reception space out of the former kitchen, which then flows into the main showroom — the living room, highlighted by the historic fireplace, softly patterned wallpaper and the staircase.

Featured dresses and jewelry will be on display, as “the storytelling room,” Rottinghaus said.

Branching off the showroom is the wedding dress gallery, two fitting suites and a mother-of-the-bride/bridesmaids’ dress gallery. The home’s original front entryway will be converted into a window display, facing Kelly Street and the store’s walk-up.

The two fitting suites are designed with a shopping bride’s privacy in mind, Rottinghaus said. Velvet curtains will split each room in thirds to create a private dressing space, and a viewing space for the bride’s family and friends.

Brides will be able to book 90-minute appointments in the suites online or by calling. Bridesmaids and mother-of-the-brides will be fitted in a different location.

Behind the home, Rottinghaus is renovating the garage into a prom- and tuxedo-studio. High school students can shop for their homecoming and prom dresses or book tuxedoes for their event.

“It’ll be louder, more fun music. The vibe will be a little different,” Rottinghaus said.

After prom season, the studio will cater to tuxedo fittings.

Flooring throughout the Mara house was all brought up to the same level to aid in accessibility, but some adjustments couldn’t be made, like the doorway widths. Rottinghaus will work with shoppers to address accessibility needs before a party’s appointment, she said.

“We did design it as well as we could to be handicapped accessible, but not everything was possible,” Rottinghaus said. “I do think there’s a need, and I’m glad that we made the choice to try and accommodate it.”

FINISHING TOUCHES

Mara will carry designers not available within 75 miles, and nearly all of the samples have already arrived, Rottinghaus said. The store carries two core wedding dress designers, Justin Alexander and Casablanca, which are not available for sale online.

The wedding dresses are priced between $1,000-2,000; the prom dresses will all retail for $500 or below, she said.

Dress sample sizes in the store range from 8-22. There will not be in-store alterations, but Rottinghaus will refer brides to recommendations in the area.

“I wanted things that were romantic, that were comfortable, that were high-quality without being unaffordable,” Rottinghaus said.

Aside from the wedding party and prom/homecoming pieces, Mara will carry bridal accessories, including an heirloom jewelry line; shapewear and undergarments; and flower girl, Christmas, Easter and First Communion dresses for young girls.

Rottinghaus worked with her mother and mother-in-law to find a mother-of-the-bride line that would appeal to a variety of women.

Most of her dress collections will be available to view online at www.marabrides.com once the business is running.

Rottinghaus is hoping to have a soft-business opening on Nov. 25 — Small Business Saturday — and to open the prom studio in mid-December. Her store will be open Tuesday through Saturday; hours will be available online.

She also plans to have a local open house in December, where she hopes to showcase vintage wedding dresses on loan from the community — anyone who is interested in being part of the open house can contact her at marabrides@gmail.com.

Right now, Rottinghaus is hiring — seeking one full-time employee and two more part-time employees. A job description is available on the Mara Facebook page (@marabrides).

“It’s pretty amazing. Yesterday when the sign went up, I was a little choked up — this is actually happening, this is going to be something that I have created,” Rottinghaus said.

“I just know that it’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s pretty cool, nothing has ever felt more right.”

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