KEARNEY, Mo. – A metro business on the brink of closing is opening doors for teens who cannot afford expensive prom dresses. The owner calls it a service to a town ravaged by recent layoffs.
Displays boast the latest prom fashion trends inside The Gown Gallery in Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood. Their teenage customers crave expensive gowns.
“Floral prints are in, bold colors, even some abstracts, and retro as well,” said Sharon Miller, who works at The Gown Gallery.
Thirty-three miles north, retro is in for different reasons. In Kearney, where 146 people lost jobs this week, prom dress price is a very big deal.
“People just can’t even afford, you know, just any extras right now,” said Michelle Woolf, owner of Once & Again, a boutique and novelties store.
Woolf’s business is also struggling. It will close, possibly next month.
“The shop isn’t going to make it,” Woolf said.
Still, she is making prom goers a deal. For around $50, teenagers can buy a dress, shoes, and jewelry. Most dresses are gently-used, usually a major turn-off for customers. However, in Kearney’s economic climate, those gowns seem spectacular.
“The kids have talked about that telling me, ‘mom says we can’t afford what we did last year, we have to cut back,’” Woolf said. “So, you know, they are coming in here and they look. They don’t always buy the first time.”
But they are buying. It’s not enough to keep Woolf in business. However, she is satisfied teaching teens fiscal lessons.
“You can look very nice for under $100,” Woolf said.
