That survival skill—the ability to scan a room for danger before the danger recognizes itself—is the single most valuable thing my childhood gave me.

It has never once failed me.

But my mother only truly makes sense when you stand inside her sanctuary.

Sandra’s Bridal opened in 1998 on Main Street in Corin, Indiana.

I’ll say it plainly: the place is breathtaking.

My mother has a genuine, ruthless gift for aesthetics, and that shop is her cathedral.