Celebrating Women’s Small Business Month
In 2009, Bahar started her business with a $300 sewing machine, a $20 cutting table, and one small room that served as her studio, fitting room, and office.Today, she runs Bahar & Reza, a bridal couture house in Centerville, with a growing team of nine. What happened in between is a story about courage, community, and knowing exactly what you want.
Rooted in Dayton
Bahar studied fashion design in Iran. When she joined her husband, Reza, in Dayton in 2008, there was no fashion industry here. Bahar chose to stay anyway.
“Dayton has so much peace and quality of life,” she said. “I would rather stay in a smaller city and make it work.”
She started with alterations while letting clients know she could design custom dresses, drawing on the Persian art and textiles that inspire her work. Word spread. In 2016, she and Reza opened their first shop in Oakwood, with big dreams for what it could become.
The two-year wait for a royal client
Then Reza had a bold idea: what if they designed for the former Empress of Iran? They had no connections. It took two years to hear back. When her office finally called, the Empress wanted to meet them in Washington, D.C.
Bahar arrived with three designs, fabric samples, and a measuring tape in her purse. The Empress loved all three and asked if one could be ready for a wedding in two weeks.
“I said, of course,” Bahar recalled. “We were completely prepared.”
That dress started a 10-year relationship and more than 20 custom pieces worn at international events.
Building a business without a roadmap
Nobody in Bahar’s family or circle of friends had run a business. She was starting from the ground up, so she took every class she could find.
One program asked: What would you do with $1 million? Her answer was immediate. She would buy a building for her shop.
She didn’t have $1 million, yet she held on to that dream. For six months, banks told her no. She kept asking whether another program could help and eventually found one through the state. After nearly a year of work, she gave a two-minute pitch to a six-person panel in Columbus, which they approved without a single objection.
Designing her dream
In July 2026, Bahar and Reza opened their new storefront in Centerville, and it felt like a dream come to life.
Before they found the building, Bahar had sketched her dream shop on paper: the windows, the door, and room for her seamstresses. The Centerville building matched her drawing almost exactly, down to the small round window near the top of the storefront. Reza, her husband and co-owner, designed the interior. Today, locals call it “the Palace.”
Building a business that grows beyond you
A contact from the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce recommended Bahar try Course for Presidents® at Aileron. It felt like a natural fit, though Bahar walked in a little worried.
“I believe I was the smallest business in the group,” she said. “But I found the issues were the same for a lot of us. How to work with your employees, how to manage your finances, how to set goals. Just the size is different.”
Course for Presidents, and her work with Aileron business coaches since, have shaped how Bahar leads. She now approaches conversations with the goal of a win for all: the business, the employee, and the customer.“I tell them I want everyone to grow here,” she said. “We are a team.”
That care shaped the move, too. A lack of space at the Oakwood shop meant her seamstresses worked downstairs, and giving them a better workspace was a big reason for finding a new home. Now each of them works beside a window, with their own space. It’s the win-win, built right into the walls.
Trust, one hem at a time
For years, Bahar wondered whether small alteration jobs were worth her team’s time. She kept them, because she knows small jobs build trust. The client who comes in for a hem is the one who calls when her daughter gets engaged.
One day, a bride came in for a fitting with her cousin. The cousin shared that she was a former client and that Bahar had altered her wedding gown years earlier. She pulled up a photo from that fitting, and there was a little flower girl standing next to Bahar.
That flower girl is now the bride standing in front of her, wearing the gown Bahar is working on.
It’s one of many client relationships Bahar has built over the years. Many of those clients have become friends who keep coming back and bringing their families with them.
Making room to create
Heading into 2027, Bahar is focused on putting systems in place for the business. For a creative, it takes intention to put roles and handbooks in writing. She’s doing it so the shop runs smoothly whether or not she’s there, which frees her up for the work she loves most: designing.
“If you want your business to grow,” she said, “the first person who has to grow is yourself.”
Her advice for women in business
“Take a risk. Don’t be afraid of the things that feel unachievable. Write down exactly what you want, and the resources and the people will come to help you.”
Ready to put what you want on paper?
We’re shining the spotlight on our community and sharing the stories of our members. Are you interested in sharing your Aileron story? Reach out to us.
