SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Local brides are trying to track down their wedding gowns, after dropping them off to be preserved at a Sandy Springs business and never getting them back.
Like Avery Walker who was married in March of 2022.
“There’s a picture of (my mom) and my dad at their wedding and I never had a vision of a different dress I would wear at my wedding,” said Walker.
Avery says the gown was purchased by her mom and grandmother in London back in 1989.
“It was really special,” Walker said.
Story continues below gallery.
Photos | Avery Walker's wedding dress
After the wedding, she took the dress to Professional Cleaners and Gown Preservation on Hilderbrand Drive in Sandy Springs.
“He said it took 6-9 months, my mom paid the $300 it cost to do the service and left it there,” said Walker.
Last December, she checked back.
“He said it’s not ready… I’ll call you when it’s ready so you can make an appointment to pick it up,” said Walker.
Months went by. Then, in October of this year, a friend asked Walker for the address to bring her wedding dress there.
“Just Googled it real quick and it reminded me I need to call him and pick it up and when I googled the address to send to my friend it said permanently closed,” Walker said. “My heart sank, totally sank.”
According to county records, the owner, David Galusha sold the property to the City of Sandy Springs in January for $1.5 million.
“I would've expected to have been contacted when he decided to go out of business,” said Walker.
She says she finally got ahold of Galusha - who said he’d give her her dress, but then called with bad news.
“They were tagging dresses to be taken to a storage facility and tagging items that needed to be discarded and that my dress had been mistakenly been tagged to be discarded,” said Walker.
Walker contacted an attorney and filed a report with Sandy Springs Police.
When we checked, we found another customer had too. Walker says she’s not surprised.
“That was a huge building and there were so many dresses and things in there he was working on,” said Walker.
She says other customers reached out to her as well after she posted about her experience on Facebook.
11Alive reached out to Galusha repeatedly by the phone, and even went to what appears to be the last known address for him- but he never responded.
So, we contacted the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division consumer protection division, which exists to enforce the Fair Business Practices Act.
Outreach Coordinator Shawn Conroy says while he can’t comment on this specific case- he says the best way consumers can protect themselves is to check reviews and save all documents and receipts, in case you need to take action.
“Pay with your credit card- you could have charge back privileges as well,” said Conroy.
All steps Walker says she followed with no result.
Still she’s hopeful her dress will be found somewhere in storage so she can pass it down again.
“If I have a daughter, I have a younger sister if she wanted to wear it she won’t have that opportunity,” said Walker.
Walker says next she plans to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office and then will likely take the matter to Magistrate Court.
You can file an online complaint with the Attorney General's Office here. Additionally, click here for more information on Magistrate Court.