John Harrington - Independent Record - 03/08/09

Two new businesses downtown

Two new businesses have recently opened in Downtown Helena.

On the hill on Broadway just up from the Walking Mall, Linda Campbell recently opened Brides & Beaux, a full-service bridal shop featuring formalwear for men and women.

Campbell, 54, has been close to the wedding industry for a while through another business. She and her husband have run Capital City DJ for more than a decade, spending many a Saturday each summer playing songs for receptions across the region.

"There was a need in town for another bridal shop, and my husband and I thought the combination of the two, wedding dresses and a DJ, would work really well," she said.

Campbell was delighted to find her space on the north side of Broadway. It was most recently Prickly Pear Antiques, but once upon a time was home to Silk & Satin Bridal.

"It's got great display windows and it's just a neat old building," she said. "

In addition to brides, Campbell can outfit bridesmaids, mothers and flower girls, as well as grooms and their groomsmen. When it came to stocking the store, she looked for gowns that might be fresh in town.

"I went out looking for well-made dresses that nobody had and that are in a price range that Helena would be comfortable with," she said. Jasmine, Essence of Australia and Allure are among the labels.

Winter might seem like an odd time to open a bridal shop, but Campbell said she scrambled to get the doors open in time for the annual bridal fair in January, and is now taking orders for weddings scheduled for August or later.

Savage lens: Meanwhile, on Placer Street across from the downtown post office, Jason Savage recently opened Savage Photography, a gallery by day where Savage, 32, also teaches photography classes at night.

"I started shooting about eight or nine years ago, and after about a year it was apparent that it was more than a hobby for me," Savage said.

Savage teaches classes in digital photography for beginners and intermediates as well as classes in Adobe Photoshop, the popular digital editing software. The classes meet once a week for four weeks, two hours at a time, with assignments in between.

In addition to helping people learn the art of photography, Savage hopes his business can become a meeting place and crossroads for photographers in the Queen City.

Savage also does commercial and freelance photography, working for film companies and ad agencies.

E-mail your Open for Business ideas to john.harrington@helenair.com.