Laajavaab — Local services in Oak Ridge

I’ve been crying for hours after how I was treated here. I came with every intention of spending money—my budget was $2,500+, and I had plans to purchase multiple outfits. I spoke to the shop owner several times by phone before my visit and made it clear I wanted to try on bridal outfits. She assured me she would help me get fully dressed in something so I could see how it looked. But that’s not what happened.

From the moment I arrived, I felt dismissed. I had spent over $130 on professional hair and makeup and drove 1.5 hours for what was supposed to be a joyful experience—trying on a Bengali bridal outfit to get a feel for the style, color, and fit. I was even planning to video call my fiancé in Bangladesh to include him in the process.

Instead, I was treated like a burden. Within minutes, the energy shifted. She started pulling out raw fabric and told me I could not even hold it against my skin unless I paid for it. Why would anyone pay hundreds of dollars for fabric without even seeing how it looks on them?

She kept making passive comments about my size, saying she probably didn’t have anything that would fit me—which felt like a way to avoid helping me at all. For reference, I wear high-waisted South Asian clothes all the time. I could have easily tried on a skirt with my own blouse if the top didn’t fit. Instead, I stood there while her husband held up women’s clothing to his own chest as if that would give me any idea how it would look on me.

She kept pressing me with personal questions—about my in-laws, about the wedding date, about whether I was really going to spend money—as if I needed to prove I was worth her time.

The worst part? Other women who’ve posted photos from this shop are my exact size. So why was I treated like I didn’t belong? Why was I misled into thinking I’d be able to try things on, only to be shut down and made to feel like I wasn’t worthy?

Even after my aunt and grandmother politely reminded her that we were there to buy, she kept dodging the topic of letting me try anything. Only at the very end—after my grandmother spoke up—did she suddenly say I could come in and try something. But by then, I was too humiliated. I had to walk out before I broke down completely.

This experience was disgusting and so, so hurtful. My fiancé—who is a respected public figure in Bangladesh—was appalled. He told me this would never happen there, that in his country, I would be welcomed, treated with dignity, and encouraged to try on as many dresses as I want—no matter my size.

If you care about service, respect, and being treated like a human being, I would strongly recommend going elsewhere. No one should ever feel this way while shopping for...

I am actually SO disappointed in the experience I just had here. First of all, I went in with no clue on what my budget should be, so I was definitely open to adjusting it. But I stated it was around $150 and they immediately ignored it. The way they acted was like a true Cinderella story. They only showed me things that were $100, ill fitting, and sooo far from the style I stated I wanted, or $500 and gorgeous. No in between. I saw plenty of things I loved that I easily would've gotten that were $200, but they literally didn't let me pick out anything I wanted to try on- even when I stated I liked it and wanted to. They picked it all and I had no say.

Then- THE WORST PART- the lady that helped me stood over me the WHOLE time. I am talking hovering outside of the curtain so close I could see her shoes. And numerous times when I tried things on she opened the curtain while I was changing and then would go "oh, sorry." One time she did it and her husband walked by and LOOKED IN WHILE I WAS NAKED.

Then when I finally got upset, and my bf texted me and said "let's go, the vibe is weird and they are so rude", the lady said "so you came in here to just try things on and not buy." To which I replied "no, I definitely wanted something". Then when I walked out and said to my bf that I can't believe how awful the whole thing was she goes "yeah, good luck."

I am so upset. I drove 1.5 hours to go to this shop specifically because I thought I'd have a great experience.

Even if I DID want to "just try things on", is this not a store to try things on?? I'm not gonna go in, have someone else pick out my outfit and be like "ya sure, I'll take it."

I understand I am not rich or maybe their typical customer but they were...

Was invited to a Hindu/Bengali wedding by a close friend for his son and didn't know what to expect. They included a dress/style guide for western clothing as well as Indian clothing. With 5 events over 3 days there was plenty of opportunities for different outfits. My wife the adventurous one wanted to find an Indian dress to wear to the wedding. I researched Indian clothing stores in Orlando and came up with 4-5 in the area of OBT and started here. SO Glad I started hear as we didn't need to go any further after we met the owner's son Vinny on a busy Saturday. I walked in expecting to spend maybe $100 for a dress for my wife. It was super busy with other folks looking for wedding attire too....but we had time and were having fun so we kept at it. Other couples came in saying they visited 3-4 other stores and couldn't find anything but this place had it all. What started out as a single dress purchase ended up with us buying two dresses for my wife and a Sherwani for me $800 or so later! The dresses needed alterations but no problem we came back a week later and go them. At the wedding everyone said we look great, authentic, well dressed for westerners attending an Indian wedding for the first time. It was fun, exciting, a new experience....now if we can just get invited to another wedding so we can wear all of this again!

One word of caution check your dress for lost sequins before you leave the store. My wife's Saree lost several in the store during the tailoring process. We lost even more during the event. It would be nice if they had spares to replace the ones that got lost. Was not heard to re-stitch the ones on that we got but we are still missing...