Hundreds of local ladies receive free prom dresses

HAMBURG — The line stretched out the door and down the sidewalk, as more than 50 girls waited for the chance to try on and take home a free prom dress, courtesy of the sixth annual Free Prom Dress Shopping Days, hosted by Erie County Legislator Lynne Dixon and Urban Valet Dry Cleaners at Performing Arts Dance Academy in Hamburg. Hundreds of girls went home with a free gown for prom during two shopping days, held April 18 and 19.

“This is a great event that gives teens the chance to enjoy the fun of shopping for a prom dress and finding one they love without worrying if they can afford it,” Dixon said. “Prom is expensive and the cost rises each year. For some families, affording a gown isn’t an option. A dress shouldn’t be a reason why a girl isn’t able to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event.”

The dresses were donated by members of the community and cleaned by Urban Valet Dry Cleaners, who have donated resources for the past six years to clean thousands of dresses.

Kirk Lorkowski of Urban Valet assisted at the event for the first time this year, and said watching girls take home the gowns was “amazing.

“It runs so smoothly. I’m sure that, after six years, [Dixon and her volunteers] can expedite the process, but seeing the girls come through and the look on their faces when they see all the gowns and go ‘ah!’ is just the coolest thing to see.”

Dresses ranged from traditional prom gowns to cocktail dresses and even some choices for older women.

Lorkowski said that the company not only cleans gowns but does alterations as well, in case a young lady takes home a dress that needs a little tweaking. He added that sometimes, dresses come back for a second round, after a shopper used it for that one special night.

“It’s great to see gowns come back in, after they’ve been donated and used, then donated again,” he said. “It’s an awesome event, and a great way to share with the community.”

“Urban Valet is an outstanding partner. I can’t imagine how many hours have been spent over the years to clean the dresses to have them ready. I want to thank [company president] Eric Pyne and his staff for their tremendous generosity and hard work,” Dixon added.

Shoes were donated by ShoeFly and Dyed to Match, as well as Dan Cappola, a shoe repairman in Hamburg. The Bead Gallery also sent over handmade jewelry to match the gowns, and Speier Displays & Party Rentals contributed screens to use as dressing rooms.

High school volunteers staffed that area, giving shoppers a peer review for picking out The Dress.

“They don’t want to hear it from us,” an adult volunteer said, with a laugh. “The girls are great; they’ve been working really hard and offering their opinions, helping the shoppers pick out shoes and accessories. It’s nice to have that second opinion from someone your own age.”

About 400 dresses left the racks over the weekend, with girls coming from Hamburg, Frontier, South Park, Lackawanna, Gowanda, West Seneca and as far away as Olean to scour the racks. Accessories such as scarves and wraps were also on hand, to shield bare shoulders against brisk spring breezes.

Once the event wrapped up, Dixon and her team of volunteers packed up the dresses for donation to charities with which the legislator is affiliated, as well as local high schools.

“I’ll drop some off at high schools that are a little further away, like Lackawanna, where girls may not necessarily have been able to get a ride to shop, but still need a dress,” Dixon said. “We want to give as many young ladies as possible a shot at getting the perfect dress.”

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