Kathleen McAndrews

DAYTON, Tenn. — At the end of last year, Kathleen McAndrews found herself laid up after surgery, unable to do much of anything. She asked her husband if they could go somewhere.

“I said, ‘I feel like going out. Let’s get in the car and drive,’” Mrs. McAndrews said.

Driving into Dayton, she saw a courtyard and dreams of weddings ran through her head.

The courtyard was already taken by another shop owner, but Mrs. McAndrews said she rented another piece of property and in January opened Anya’s.

The shop caters for formal occasions, mostly selling bridal gowns and dresses for members of wedding parties, Mrs. Mc-Andrews said. It rents tuxedoes and carries a bit of dressy casual wear for women, she said.

Mrs. McAndrews said she moved to Tennessee from San Diego in 1999. She opened a wedding chapel in Cleveland, Tenn., and then opened a shop there called A Dressy Affair in 2004, she said.

Since opening the Dayton store, Mrs. McAndrews said she has thrown one fashion show and wants to do more.

She said she listens to her customers and tries to provide what they want. For instance, customers asked for the dressy casual wear and she responded in a way that a big corporation couldn’t, she said.

“They can’t listen to the community and bring in items like I do,” Mrs. McAndrews said.

Randy Wells, chairman of Main Street Dayton, said her shop is unique. She changes her display windows almost every month, and she stays open past sundown sometimes when other downtown stores close, he said.

“It almost seems like she’s bringing some marketing flair to downtown Dayton,” he said.

Dayton resident Nila Scoggins said she shopped at the store just before her daughter’s wedding last month. She needed a cream-colored shirt for a small child in the wedding party and remembered Anya’s. Mrs. McAndrews ordered the shirt for her in time, she said.

“It’s nice,” Mrs. Scoggins said. “I think it will do well. It’s needed.”

Mrs. McAndrews said she hopes more customers feel that way.

“The thing I keep stressing is we’re here for the community,” she said.

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