BANGOR, Maine — The owner of a downtown Bangor bridal shop that closed suddenly last week, leaving at least a dozen wedding parties in limbo, was about to be evicted when she shut down her business.
Jill Hunter Smith, owner of House of Brides, owed at least $10,000 in back rent as of May 9, according to documents filed in Bangor District Court.
Bangor Property Development LLC, the owner of 51 Main St., served tenant Smith with a “notice to quit” on March 31. At the time, she owed $8,200 in rent. But Smith refused to leave or pay back rent, and accrued more unpaid rent, according to court records. She remained in business for nearly two months before finally closing, before the eviction becoming final.
Joe Ferris, who is serving as Bangor Property Development’s attorney, declined to say how much rent is owed currently, or whether any of that back rent had been paid.
Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, the business’ sign was removed, and it appears many items have been removed from the store. The doors remained locked throughout the day Tuesday.
Repeated attempts to reach Smith have been unsuccessful. The store’s Facebook page has been disabled. The business phone is no longer in operation, and Smith’s cellphone number has been disconnected.
The sudden, unexpected closure left an unknown number of clients with no way of getting the dresses and tuxedos they’d ordered through the company for weddings this summer.
The court held a hearing on May 9 on the complaint for “forcible entry and detainer,” during which Smith agreed to pay $2,100 during the month of May, plus $100 per month in arrear rent.
The future of the storefront is up in the air.
“I’ve had several inquiries on the property, but there’s a substantial amount of stuff still in the place that we need to sort out,” said Paul Cook, who was House of Brides’ landlord.
Cook expects it to be leased out relatively quickly, because it’s a large space for downtown Bangor.
The building still contains dresses, equipment and other items that are owned by other parties, meaning the building’s owner can’t sell them or throw them away. Instead, Cook may have to find a place to store whatever is left in the shop until ownership issues can be sorted out, Cook said. Some of the store has already been cleared out, and Cook said he wasn’t responsible for that.
“What happened there is incredibly disappointing for a lot of the clientele at House of Brides,” Cook said.
Cook also said he doesn’t think he can do much to help former customers who are looking for the items they ordered. If he were to let people into the store, he has no way of confirming what items might belong to them.
“That part of it is something I can’t untangle,” he said.
Cook said he’s not sure how to reach Smith since her cellphone was disconnected.
“I would let the whole community in there to take what they needed if I had the legal right to,” he said.
At least three area bridal shops have offered to help people who have receipts from House of Brides for merchandise they have not received.
Henry’s Bridal Boutique and Blush Bridal and Formal, both in Bangor, and Dream Dress Bridal in Brewer have offered discounts and special deals to House of Brides’ former customers.
Timothy Feeley, spokesman for the Maine attorney general’s office, said those who believe they are owed money or merchandise should contact the consumer mediation service and request a complaint form. To contact that office, call 800-436-2131 or email consumer.mediation@maine.gov.
BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.