Dressed for success

With three generations working together under the same roof, the ladies of Weddings and Parties Complete know a thing or two about running a family business. "I couldn't ask for a better job," says 20-year-old Kaley Wachter, who works at the Jackson dress shop with her mother, Shelly Wren, and grandmother, Sandy Schilling. "There's no better boss than your grandma." Solid relationships, flexibility and kindness are key to this family's business success, they say.

"We always know everything about each other, which can be a good thing and a bad thing," says Wren. "But we're not just sales consultants. We're a family business ... and we pride ourselves on being nice to the girls."

In the early 1990s, Schilling visited the shop while helping her other daughter, Kristy, pick out a wedding dress. When the owners mentioned they were selling the business, Schilling sensed an opportunity. A secretary of 16 years and a lifelong seamstress, Schilling had never owned a business, but thought it was time for a career change. She bought the shop in 1995, remodeled and redecorated, and filled it with dresses of her own choosing.

"After I bought [the store] I did think, what have I done? I had a good job working Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.," says Schilling. "But I never second-guessed that I couldn't do it. It's a totally different way of life and I thank God every day that I did it. I would not give it up for anything in the world."

Wren helped her mother at the store while attending college, worked in social work for 12 years, then returned to the shop full-time in 2009. Wachter began working at the store at age 15. Now that she's in college, she doesn't get to shop for prom dresses anymore -- but she does enjoy helping other girls pick out their formal dresses.

"During prom and pageant season, we don't sit down," says Wachter. "I love it because with some girls, I help pick out every single dress they get for a dance." Many of these girls return years later for their bridal gowns, says Wren. "We get to know the girls and their styles and personalities. It's nice to work with them like that," says Wren.

Wren's dream is to take the shop over when her mother retires. Wachter says she'll work at the shop at least through college, and might like to be her mother's business partner someday. As for Schilling, she knows that when she does retire, she'll leave the business in good hands. "Having these two working for me is just wonderful. I see myself in [Shelly] in the way she helps me," says Schilling. "We relate to each other and we know each other," she adds of the relationship with her daughter and granddaughter.