It's prom season: Formal wear business owners talk about store changes and buying habits – Albert Lea Tribune

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Fringe and Lace by Brittany in Northwood will be busy in the months ahead preparing dresses for proms throughout Iowa and Minnesota.Ayanna Ekblad/Albert Lea Tribune

Shop owner Brittany Rowe is preparing an appointment with a future bride looking for the perfect dress.Ayanna Ekblad/Albert Lea Tribune

An exhibition of accessories that can be purchased at Fringe & Lace by Brittany.Ayanna Ekblad/Albert Lea Tribune

Ayanna Ekblad

NORTHWOOD — High school students around the world are preparing for a special event in their student lives: prom.

The past few months have been filled with shopping for dresses and tuxedos, and arranging alterations. Brittany's Northwood Business Fringe and Lace is one such example.

Store owner Brittany Rowe, from Albert Lea, talked about how special this time of year is for her business and how purchasing habits have changed over the past few years.

Lowe's Stores began as an alteration business with a prom dress pop-up store. The brick and mortar building opened in February 2018. Initially a consignment shop, we now exclusively sell new apparel.

“All of our prom dresses are new and available to order,” Lowe said. We also sell bridal dresses, tuxedos, and mothers' formal wear.

Currently, the store has six staff members, including Lowe. She said the store is busiest for buying dresses from January through early March. It is normally closed on Sundays, but will be open seven days a week during prom season.

“Prom is a special season where you can do so much in such a short period of time,” Lowe said. “At this point, most of the girls have already bought their dresses, so now they're busy with tuxedos and alterations.”

Lowe said prom in the area typically starts around mid-April and ends in early May.

The store typically has customers who come from towns within a 60-mile radius. But Roe said customers come from Rochester, Des Moines and even the Twin Cities.

“People have told me that they're actually looking for a small, intimate boutique that offers personal service and a personal touch, rather than a big store where you just shuffle through the store. That's why I… 'I really like hearing that,''' Lowe said.

During the pandemic, Roe said the state of Iowa gave her and several other women-owned businesses grants to help offset financial hardship, even as proms and weddings were canceled or scaled back. , explained that this was one of the reasons the store was able to survive. Lowe used the pandemic as a time to move to appointment-only sales. This streamlines the purchasing process and allows us to provide more personalized service to our customers.

“We can provide better customer service by having customers make reservations so we can focus on you,” Low says.

Reservations are required to try on bridal dresses. Therefore, a designated staff member will assist the bride and her party and ensure that the store's special bridal dressing room is available.

She also said walk-ins are available to view prom dresses, but she can't guarantee fitting rooms will be open.

As online shopping becomes more popular, Lo spoke about the benefits of buying dresses and tuxedos from local businesses.

“Purchasing habits have changed dramatically,” she said. “I think there’s still something very unique and reassuring about buying from a brick-and-mortar, family-owned business.”

She added that there are also risks when buying dresses online.

“I know a lot of people who tried to buy prom dresses online and they didn't show up,” she says. “A lot of times, a lot of these websites look legitimate, but they're often fake. That doesn't happen with us.”

Lowe's favorite part of prom season is getting to know her customers.

“You get to have your kids come here and get to know them… learn about their lives and what they do and find out how respectful they are, how kind they are. It's That’s definitely the best part,” she said.

Ms. Rowe also loves attending events where her children can take a break from their busy schedules and enjoy a fun evening with friends.

“These kids are so busy and are being pulled in so many different directions: sports, band, school, National Honor Society,” Lowe said. “They're always so busy, so I hope prom allows them to really…step back and relax and have fun with their friends and have fun and just be themselves.”

Fringe and Lace will be holding a bridal dress trunk show in June. This is an event where a designer sends a collection of 12 to 20 dresses to a store for brides to come and try on for a week or two.

Fringe and Lace by Brittany is located at 808 Central Avenue in Northwood. For more information or to make a reservation, visit fringeandlacebybrittany.com or call 641-323-7400.