IT'S FREE TO ATTEND YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN BLANKETS CHAIRS AND SNACKS THE SHOW RUNS THROUGH
JULY THIRTIETH. AFTER TWENTY SIX
YEARS IN THE UPSTATE GREGORY
ALAN BERG WILL BE RETIRING FROM
DOWN DESIGNING AND SAYING
GOODBYE TO HIS RETAIL SHOP AS
WELL ON CLEVELAND STREET A PLACE
WHERE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN HAVE
GONE TO FIND THEIR ONE OF A KIND
PIECES SACKS OF CAROLINA'S EVA
BRATS HAS THE EXCLUSIVE FOURTH.
WELL IT'S A TOUGH DECISION-
BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE IN A
CREATIVE FIELD I THINK. PEOPLE
EXPECT YOU TO JUST CONTINUE
WORKING BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE
RESPONSE FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE.
HIS HIS BUT- BUT WHY DO YOU
WANNA GET OUT OF IT YOU KNOW WHY
WOULD YOU GET OUT OF IT YOU'RE
YOU'VE GOT A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
AND- AND- AND THAT'S TRUE. AND
IT'S JUST TIME TO MOVE. FORWARD
TO THE NEXT CHAPTER. CLOSING HIS
DOORS IN A CHAPTER IN HIS LIFE
ELLENBERG FLAIR FOR FASHION
STARTED EARLY ON PROBABLY AS- A
HIGH SCHOOL KID- YEAH I WAS
ALWAYS INTO- WHAT I WAS WEARING.
IT WAS IN THE SEVENTIES. AND
BELL BOTTOMS. POLYESTER SHIRTS-
AND I WOULD SCHEDULE A LOT- AND
I WOULD ALWAYS KEEP PAPER ON MY
DESK AT SCHOOL SIMPLE SKETCHES
QUICKLY GREW INTO A CAREER PATH
WHEN WATCHING PAGEANTS SEEING
HOW DRESSES CAME ALIVE ON THE
CONTESTANTS. I LOVE THE
COMPETITION LOVE CONTEST AND
TRYING TO DECIDE WHO'S GOING TO
WIN WHEN YOUR KIDS ARE GOING I
THINK MISS TEXAS KIND OF. AND
THEN SHE DID HEY HOW PRETTY GOOD
AT THIS. GRADUATING FROM FASHION
SCHOOL THAN OPENING HIS OWN SHOP
IN NINETY SEVEN ELLENBERG BEGAN
BUILDING HIS BRAND ONE CLIENT AT
A TIME STARTING WITH A SIMPLE
CONVERSATION WHAT THEY'RE
THINKING. WHAT THEIR GOAL IS AND
WHAT WHAT THEY WANT THE END
PRODUCT TO BE. AND THEN WE SIT
DOWN AND WE SKETCH AND WE PULL
FABRICS AND- COME UP WITH THE
DESIGN WE'VE LITERALLY DRAPE
FABRIC AROUND THEM SO THEY CAN
SEE COLOR OPTIONS- AND I JUST I
WANT THEM TO FEEL. LIKE THAT YOU
LEAVE HERE AND YOU FEEL LIKE.
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WHATEVER
KIND OF STAGE OR PLATFORM
ELLENBERG STRESSES MADE AN
APPEARANCE ON YOU CAN ALWAYS
TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
GOOD GOWN AND A GREGORY ALAN
BERG PIECE. I CALL IT THE SMOOTH
LOOK LIKE I JUST LIKE THE
DRESSES THAT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE
JUST ALMOST PAID ON YOUR BODY.
AND AND I THINK THAT IS
CERTAINLY MY STYLE COMPARED TO.
OTHER DESIGNERS IN THE IN THIS
BUSINESS TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL
DRESSES AND WE ALL HAVE OUR
LOOK. AND THERE LOOK MIGHT BE
GLITZY AND MY LOOK IS VERY
UNDERSTATED. AND THAT'S WHY WE
GET THOSE GIRLS WHO ARE LIKE YOU
KNOW WHAT. I DON'T WANNA PATTED
DOWN. I WANT TO BE A FULL
EVENING DOWN FROM THE VERY FIRST
SKETCH TO THE FINAL FITTING YOUR
PIECE IS TIMELESS AND WON'T STAY
ON THE HANGER FOREVER I LIKE FOR
THESE GIRLS TO BE ABLE TO PULL
THESE COUNTS OUT. TEN YEARS
LATER. AND THEY LOOK JUST AS
STYLISH AS THEY DID WHEN WE
CREATED THEM. SINCE BECOMING A
WARDROBE SPONSOR IN TWO THOUSAND
NINE RESTING STATE AND NATIONAL
TITLE HOLDERS FOR MISS AMERICA
AND MISS USA ALAN BERG'S
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS CLIENTS
REACH FAR BEYOND THE AISLE
ATTENDING EVEN THEIR WEDDINGS
ARE SITTING THERE IN YOUR LIFE.
I'M A GONER TRAINS TWITTER THIS
WAS SO WEAK MY MANAGER RIGHT ON
I WILL STAY IN THE LOBBY. OF THE
VENUE AND MAKE SURE THAT RIGHT
BEFORE SHE'S GOING THAT WOULD
MAKE THE DRESS. PERFECT AND PULL
THE TRAIN AND- YOU KNOW AND
THOSE ARE THINGS PEOPLE
REMEMBER. AND WE LOVE BEING A
PART OF. OF THEIR BIG DAY
RECOGNIZED WITH COUNTLESS AWARDS
ACCOLADES FROM OTHER DESIGNERS
AND BEING KNOWN AS SOUTH
CAROLINA'S FINEST IN THE
BUSINESS BUT ELLENBERG CHERISHES
MOST. MY FAVORITE. PHRASE IS.
WHEN THEY SAY. I. CANNOT WAIT TO
WEAR THIS DRESS. THAT'S WHAT I
LIKE TO HEAR I CANNOT WAIT TO
WHERE THE DRESS ON STAGE.
BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE- DONE OUR
JOB. SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR
ELLENBERG HE PLANS TO DO SOME
TRAVELING VOLUNTEERING SOME IN
SOME DAY JUDGE STATE PAGEANTS
BECAUSE- A MAN WITH SUCH A HEART
FOR OTHERS COULDN'T LEAVE THE
INDUSTRY COMPLETELY. AFTER SUCH
A SUCCESSFUL CAREER THAT IS
IMPACTED SO MANY S. AND THAT HAS
BEEN SOMETHING I WISH I. COULD
DO IS JUST. SAY TO EACH PERSON
INDIVIDUALLY- THANK YOU FOR THE
SUCCESS- AND I LOVE WORKING
AROUND YOUNG. PEOPLE AND I'M
GONNA MISS THAT AND THE
CONVERSATIONS WITH. TWENTY
SOMETHING YEAR OLD GIRLS WHO WHO
HAVE ALL THESE DREAMS AND THESE
GOALS THOUGH HEARTBREAKING
DECISION TO MAKE ELLENBERG FEELS
AT PEACE TO CLOSE HIS DOORS
KNOWING THE MEMORIES WILL LAST A
LIFETIME. LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF
IT- AND HAVE JUST HAD. THE BEST
JOURNEY. ELLEN BERG TELLS US
HE'LL CLOSE HIS SHOP AT THE END
OF THE SUMMER