My Biz: Mother daughter duo dress shop flourishes in Coralville

Deb Steenblock, 52, and Jocelyn Hoyle, 26, are spending their weekends and weekdays ensuring local teens and brides find just the right dress for their special occasion.

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And this time of year, is especially busy for the he mother-daughter duo who owns Jocelyn Taylor Bridal and Prom in Coralville. The shop offers bridal gowns, mother of the bride and groom dresses, prom dress, and tuxes.

“We specialize in clean, classic and modern wedding dresses from top designers who offer uniqueness and high quality,” said Steenblock. “Our wedding dresses range in style from clean and simple to all out lace and sparkle. And we have a curated collection that covers all styles, silhouettes and sizes for every bride, mom and prom girl.”

The duo focuses on offering the highest of customer service possible to each customer who walks in the door, with a motto that “Every Body Deserves Beautiful.”

“We bring unique and one-of-a-kind design details to the area when it comes to prom dresses,” said Hoyle. “We also register the prom dress to the school the girl attends so the same dress in the same color is not worn on more than one girl at a school.”

It's this attention to detail that is part of what sets the shop apart, they said.

“We only do one bride at a time in our boutique to ensure a private and personalized experience to each bride that walks through our doors,” Steenblock said. “We are also the only boutique that offers mothers dresses. We run our appointments in a way that is easy and relaxed for not only the bride but also her loved ones she brings. Let us do the work and lifting and take a relaxing seat in our living room atmosphere.” Steenblock added that they have crafted a process and experience that is smooth for the bride and easily helps her narrow down the options and ultimately find the perfect dress.

She said she and her daughter desire to not just run a retail business but to be the light in a world full of darkness, positively impacting all who enter through their doors and making connections that last a lifetime. “We place a high importance on being relational with our customers.”

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Because of their line of work, they get to be a part of some special moments. “We love watching brides truly see themselves as a bride for the first time,” said Steenblock. “We often know it is their dress before they even say yes. We pay so much attention to facial expressions and body language; we have seen the dresses many times so we find it so important to pay attention to the little details and point those out because they can oftentimes go unnoticed by others.”

When it comes to prom dress shopping, they get excited with customers, too. “We love seeing girls light up when they feel like their most confident self in their perfect prom dress,” said Hoyle, noting that they carry sizes 00 through 24 which is not always typical for a dress shop. “Seeing them leave with a beaming smile instead of the look of defeat they come into the store with is something we will never get over.”

It certainly hasn’t gotten old in the five years since they started the bridal boutique in Coralville, just after Jocelyn turned 21.

“We opened in September of 2019 after Jocelyn truly discovered her love and passion for all things bridal and fashion,” said Steenblock. “Ever since she was three years old, she has watched all the TLC wedding shows, so we say it truly is in her blood to be doing what she is doing. She has always had a compassion for others wanting to uplift women and girls to feel like their most beautiful and confident selves.”

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Her career in the bridal and prom dress world has been the perfect fit. Steenblock said she remembers her drawing sketches of wedding and formal dresses in elementary school and even a mock drawing of her own store when she was young.

“Jocelyn and her friends would play at recess where she owned a store and its name was Jocelyn Taylor, so when it came to naming the store, she knew it had to be Jocelyn Taylor Bridal and Prom,” said Steenblock, noting that they have those old drawings on display in the store.

Steenblock had worked previously for 25 years in health care — with mammography as her primary focus — but was ready for a change when her daughter knew she was ready to dive into opening the shop. “I jumped on board and have really fallen in love with helping women and girls find their perfect dress for all occasions,” she said. “And my past work experience not only taught me vital skills in customer service, attention to detail, and an ability to truly listen, but also taught me compassion for women in the most stressful and emotional circumstances. I truly believe my ability to connect with women combined with Jocelyn’s passion to impact the lives of young ladies creates a dynamic duo.”

Spring is chock full of appointments, but Steenblock and Hoyle get excited by it. “Balance is definitely a little bit more difficult during busy season, but we always find a way,” Hoyle said. “No day is the same for sure and week from week can be very different. We try to keep the same routine when it comes to daily business things knowing the weekend is our busiest days.” While Steenblock and Hoyle are the only full-time employees, they do have some additional help during the prom season in particular.

But once the busy prom season slows down, there won’t be much time for rest for Steenblock and Hoyle as they get read to move the store to a whole new location. The business is relocating to 2345 Landon Rd. in North Liberty this summer.

“We are excited to have more room to grow and reach more customers,” said Hoyle. “Our store will be double the size and one you just have to see in person. We have created this new store to be a city-like feel right here in North Liberty.” She said they will have a grand entrance for brides inviting them into a personalized and private bridal experience in a bright and serene area.

“Our dresses will get to be nicely displayed in a way that is easier to see all their beautiful details, with a private and unique area for each bride to celebrate after she has her say yes moment,” said Steenblock. She noted they will have a dedicated room for mothers to give them their own unique experience.

The prom room will be fashion forward with teenage girls in mind, Hoyle added. “Doubling our dressing rooms to 10 instead of 5, a runway for girls to show their dress off on and a whole wall of mirrors, it will be the perfect place for all the selfies.”

It has been a year and a half long planning process as they developed the new store. “We are so excited to serve the corridor area in a new and exciting way,” said Hoyle.

And they are confident their teamwork will get them through.

“We work very well together which we are so grateful for,” said Steenblock. “Being mother/daughter, our thought process is pretty much the same. We know what the other is thinking and often finish each other's sentences. We have had many compliments and comments from our customers about how well we work together. We work as a team doing appointments together, knowing each other's strengths which brings our customers security in knowing they will be well cared for.”

Know a business that should be considered for a “My Biz” feature? Let us know by emailing zack.kucharski@thegazette.com