Instead of going to a department store to purchase a dress unlikely to be worn again, students across North Texas can complete the perfect prom look for free.

After a one year hiatus, St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano is reviving its annual prom closet. Located at 1401 Mira Vista, the church will have appointments Feb. 15-17, Feb. 19 and Feb. 21-26.

The event started years ago because a member of the church’s women’s group had a daughter who worked for a local school district and noticed the cost of prom prevented girls from attending their proms, said founder Devra Helffrich. 

Anyone interested in picking out a dress must make an appointment online, and each appointment slot is for an hour-and-a-half. Each girl must be present to shop for her own dress and she may bring one guest who is 16-years-old or older.

The closet has also added an additional week this year to cope with its increased demand.

In the closet’s first year, 2009, it provided dresses and accessories for 35 girls. In 2020, it helped over 1,200 girls acquire prom dresses at no cost.

Helffrich said the church has also improved the shopping experience over the years.

“It’s become more of a boutique atmosphere,” Helffrich said. “Each girl has her own private dressing room to try on the dresses she picks out.”

Girls who shop at the closet also have a personal shopper, who is a volunteer with the church. The volunteer helps direct girls to dresses in their size and accompanies them during their visit, said Helffrich.

Each year, the closet receives donations from the community and local businesses that make it possible. Typically, it will have thousands of dresses in stock, and about 500-700 new dresses each year are added.

Financial donations are also accepted, and are typically used to acquire accessories such as handbags, shoes, jewelry and wraps.

When the time comes to set up the boutique, volunteers set up PVC pipes and hang fabric from them to create the private dressing rooms. They also comb through the stored dresses remaining from previous years and remove any dresses showing signs of wear or that have gone out of style.

Helffrich describes the closet as “a wonderful community project” and one that she is happy to see return after COVID-19 canceled proms and the closet in 2021.

The donation window opened Jan. 14 and hours to drop off items are: Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. All donations must be made by Feb. 25 and can be dropped off at Room 121.

For more information on available time slots and to register, visit standrewumc.org/news/PromCloset.

“Prom is a milestone in every girl’s life,” Helffrich said. “For them to have a personalized shopping experience is important and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We should not deprive them of that.”

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