Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Briseno.
Hi Jason, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My dad started working at an oil tank construction company when he first immigrated to the US, but his passion had always been photography since he was 15 years old. When he was in Mexico as a young man, he saw Japanese tourists with huge cameras, and that captured his attention. He immigrated to the US back in 1995 to follow the American dream and pursue his passion for photography.
He started in our basement at the townhome we were renting at the time, and he gave a lot of his beginning work for free. He received a lot of recognition because he would upload photos to the Salt Lake Tribune, and they would publish his pictures in the newspaper. After working for free for some time, he built a portfolio of work, and his first client was the daughter of his best friend who was celebrating her Quinceañera. That friend had helped my dad settle when he first immigrated here and has sadly passed away since.
My dad continued to work his job building oil tanks and did photography and videography daily. We had rented a booth at the Redwood swap meet where my dad would offer his services to more people. It wasn’t until my dad realized that he made more money and was happier filming one event than what he made working a full week at his job. That realization gave him the courage to quit his job (which he hadn’t told us about for three weeks) and pursue photography and videography full-time. With the money he had made from his welding job and photography, he saved up enough for us to relocate to an indoor swap meet where he finally did photography and videography full-time.
At the indoor swap meet, my father expanded our services and took one of the riskiest moves in our business’s history. We collaborated with a Quinceañera dress retailer, and my father negotiated with them and traded our SUV, which was expensive to us and a big deal because we saved so much money to get it. They accepted the trade, but there were many caveats. They didn’t want to provide us with suppliers, and they refused to help us understand the basics even though they said they would. To make matters worse, they undercut us by taking more inventory than originally discussed.
We were in a huge rut, and for the first year of owning that second store, we had sold only one dress. However, my father’s and mother’s determination and perseverance kept us going. My mother had been working jobs in and out during this period, but it wasn’t until this deal went through that she also found the courage to quit and help with the dress business full-time. Together, my parents worked tirelessly to make the business profitable. They attended events, networked with potential suppliers, and figured out how to navigate the business to find the right providers. Through their stubbornness, they were able to turn a profit and slowly increase their sales.
After the second business started to flourish, my dad decided to rent a small space in another dress place where we currently reside. He only had a small desk where he would mostly showcase his work and gather more clients. He shared the space with another dress retailer at the time who sold dresses both at this new location and at the swap meet. However, she spent more time at the swap meet.
My dad had tried to negotiate a deal with her to buy her dress store, but her price was too high. After some time, my dad was able to negotiate the price, and the woman accepted the deal. My dad then took money out of his retirement savings to fund the deal. However, we were met with another caveat. She had taken most of the inventory, including the quality inventory, and left us with the remaining items that she had a hard time selling. It was a rough year, but my parents were resilient and were able to turn the dress store profitable.
Today, our business has become a staple in the Quinceañera community, and we take pride in helping families celebrate this important milestone. We have expanded our services to include not only photography and videography but also selling dresses and accessories for events, and invitations. We owe it all to my parents’ hard work, dedication, and willingness to take risks, even when the odds were against us. Their passion for the Quinceañera tradition has touched the lives of so many people, and we are proud to be a part of that legacy.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our business suffered a great deal as people stopped going out, and our business relied on events and parties. However, we were able to bounce back after the pandemic as the events and parties started to return, and we began to see an increase in sales. We now have a large supply of dresses and accessories, and our clients come from as far as Moab Utah, Las Vegas, Elko Nevada, Twins Falls Idaho, Kansas City, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma City, Mexico, and Chile.
We are currently in the process of rebranding and shifting to a new market and location. We plan to rent a new spot and create a unique dreamy experience for our customers. We have opened up a website and are currently working on accepting worldwide shipping. We have been pumping content on our socials such as Instagram and TikTok, and have been invited to expos for dresses. We are excited about our future plans and plan to expand further into prom/homecoming attire.
Looking back, we are grateful for the challenges we faced and the hard work we put into our business. It has been an exciting journey, and we are just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
[Firstly we had risked a lot to get where we are.]” At the indoor swap meet, my father expanded our services and took one of the riskiest moves in our business’s history. We collaborated with a Quinceañera dress retailer, and my father negotiated with them and traded our SUV, which was expensive to us and a big deal because we saved so much money to get it. They accepted the trade, but there were many caveats. They didn’t want to provide us with suppliers, and they refused to help us understand the basics even though they said they would. To make matters worse, they undercut us by taking more inventory than originally discussed.
We were in a huge rut, and for the first year of owning that second store, we had sold only one dress. However, my father’s and mother’s determination and perseverance kept us going. My mother had been working jobs in and out during this period, but it wasn’t until this deal went through that she also found the courage to quit and help with the dress business full-time. Together, my parents worked tirelessly to make the business profitable. They attended events, networked with potential suppliers, and figured out how to navigate the business to find the right providers. Through their stubbornness, they were able to turn a profit and slowly increase their sales.”
[Then my Father literally put his retirement funding on the line] “After the second business started to flourish, my dad decided to rent a small space in another dress place where we currently reside. He only had a small desk where he would mostly showcase his work and gather more clients. He shared the space with another dress retailer at the time who sold dresses both at this new location and at the swap meet. However, she spent more time at the swap meet.
My dad had tried to negotiate a deal with her to buy her dress store, but her price was too high. After some time, my dad was able to negotiate the price, and the woman accepted the deal. My dad then took money out of his retirement savings to fund the deal. However, we were met with another caveat. She had taken most of the inventory, including the quality inventory, and left us with the remaining items that she had a hard time selling. It was a rough year, but my parents were resilient and were able to turn the dress store profitable.”
[And finally covid practically killed our business for a good year] “After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our business suffered a great deal as people stopped going out, and our business relied on events and parties. However, we were able to bounce back after the pandemic as the events and parties started to return, and we began to see an increase in sales. We now have a large supply of dresses and accessories, and our clients come from as far as Moab Utah, Las Vegas, Elko Nevada, Twins Falls Idaho, Kansas City, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma City, Mexico, and Chile.”
As you know, we’re big fans of VIP Quince. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We specialize in the sale and rental of event attires specifically for Quinceañeras or Prom/homecoming. We also specialize in photography, videography, and printing services. What sets us apart is that we are able to combine our services together to offer competitive prices. And when surveying customers, they love our service and attention to detail. I’m proud of the quality we offer and the loyalty we have established because of our values as a business.
I would love our readers to know how to get to our website, and how to find our socials so they can connect with us and find tuxedos, dresses, fine jewelry or crowns, invitations, or just have a photographer/videographer in mind. We love what we do and we started quite literally from the ground up, so our goal as a business is to provide everyone with the service and solutions they deserve.
What’s next?
I actually have a personal YouTube channel where I have been talking about our business ventures and plans. We are excited about the new place we are going to. YouTube.com/@jasonbriseno.
“We are currently in the process of rebranding and shifting to a new market and location. We plan to rent a new spot and create a unique dreamy experience for our customers. We have opened up a website and are currently working on accepting worldwide shipping. We have been pumping content on our socials such as Instagram and TikTok, and have been invited to expos for dresses. We are excited about our future plans and plan to expand further into prom/homecoming attire.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vipquince.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/vipquince/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090726844018
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbriseno
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/@jasonbriseno
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@vipquince?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
