What is the story behind this mysterious bridal shop in New Jersey? It's seemingly abandoned, but has been well-maintained since 2006.
TikToker Eli Rallo visited the shop and said, "This bridal shop has been here in my hometown for two decades. They've never changed the window displays. Nobody has ever been in or out. It's always locked. I always wondered if one day I got married, I could try on dresses here. There's no website; there's no Facebook page; there's no phone number."
She pointed to a mannequin in the window display and said, "This lady has been wearing that cloak since 2006. What the fuck is this place? What is it? We're trying to get in. Like does anybody know? Help us uncover this mystery."
The video has generated over 9000 comments, with viewers speculating about po ssible explanations:
- Estate/inheritance dispute preventing changes
- Money laundering operation
- Tax write-off property
- Foreign investment vehicle
- Art installation similar to Prada Marfa
- Abandoned property maintained by the city for appearances
A 2020 article in Red Bank Green about the shop has a few nuggets of information:
"No dresses go in and no dresses come out," said the manager of another shop, who asked not to be identified because she wishes to "be a good neighbor."
According to an anonymous local employee, mail piles up and deteriorates at the storefront until it mysteriously disappears.
Property records show someone named Kei Lau from Massachusetts purchased the building for $89,500 in 1999, and Yi Lau registered Haute Couture Creations as a "family clothing" business in 2006; when reached by phone, Kei Lau, who pays taxes on the now $508,000-assessed property, told the reporter, "It's just a building that's sitting there."
And this is where things get weird:
But why has the shop never opened? we asked. Just as Lau began to speak, the connection went bad. Repeated attempts to reach him again were unsuccessful and he did not respond to a voice message over the weekend.
I can't wait for someone to get to the bottom of this.
Previously:
• Abandoned bowling alleys
• This 2,000 foot skyscraper is completely abandoned
