SAN JOSE — Trudys Brides and Special Occasions is preparing to relocate to San Jose this year and exit its familiar location in Campbell’s Pruneyard Shopping Center in a move that enables the store to expand.
The merchant, which has been in The Pruneyard for 50 years, is moving to a shopping center in San Jose’s Willow Glen district at 1615 Meridian Avenue, according to Steven Blechman, who owns Trudys Brides.
“We have been looking for a space for about three years,” Blechman said. “It was tough to find space that would work. The location we picked was something we hit on right away. It was like a light shining down.”
Trudys Brides has leased a former Walgreens drug store and pharmacy space in a shopping center at the corner of Meridian Avenue and Hamilton Avenue.
The store is taking over 13,300 square feet of space, according to Blechman. At present, Trudys Brides occupies about 10,000 square feet on two levels in The Pruneyard.
“It’s a big decision to leave a location where you have been for 50 years,” Blechman said. “There’s a lot of insecurity.
Blechman is also well aware of the high-profile status of the Pruneyard, which is a regional draw — but can also command top-level rents.
“The Pruneyard is a destination,” Blechman said. “But I don’t need to spend Pruneyard kind of money trying to pull in customers.”
Trudys Brides expects to be in its new location by June of this year, according to Blechman.
The rental agreement also helps to fill a large empty space that Walgreens had vacated as part of the retailer’s quest to shut 1,200 stores nationwide, including 500 in 2025.
The increased amount of elbow room gives Trudys greater flexibility in its operations, the company stated.
Trudys will be able to host fashion shows, exclusive preview events, wedding and prom showcases and in-store designer boutiques. Plus, customers will have more breathing room.
The new store will be about two miles from the retailer’s long-time Pruneyward location.
This means Trudys Brides will be able to keep serving its long-time loyal customers as well as attract new patrons from the Cambrian and Willow Glen neighborhoods as well as the rest of San Jose and other parts of the Bay Area.
Trudys will keep operating at the Pruneyard site until the move actually occurs this summer.
Blechman is the son of the late founders of Trudys, Roger and Trudy Blechman. He operates Trudys with his wife Rebekah Blechman.
“The whole goal is to create an experience for the customer that is different from what our competitors offer,” Blechman said.
Blechman said he doesn’t want Trudys to have the look and feel of department stores or other larger rivals.
“Our customers want to come in and feel special about the buying process,” Blechman said. “They want to touch, feel, and have an experience rather than just trying on a dress in their living room.”