Shoals shoppers may know this store by its old name. Ashley Griffith bought Juanita’s Fashions in the spring of 2025 and renamed it The Dress Shoppe. In June 2025 she moved the shop from Muscle Shoals across the river to downtown Florence. The stock came along: prom, bridal, mothers’ and social-occasion dresses, plus tuxedo rentals, all in one room.
The address is 116 E. Mobile Street, on Mobile Plaza. That’s the cobblestone block just east of Court Street, in the heart of the historic downtown.
What the store carries
Two prom labels are confirmed on their makers’ own retailer lists: Clarisse and Jessica Angel. On the bridal side, Calla Blanche lists the shop as an authorized retailer. Tuxedo rentals run through Jim’s Formal Wear, which names the store as a rental location. That means a date’s coat and the dress can be matched in the same visit.
The shop is only a few seasons into this address and doesn’t publish an inventory. Griffith’s stated aim is quality dresses at reasonable prices for every occasion. The Facebook listing puts the store in the $$ range. Call before driving if you need a specific designer or size. Instagram and the website list slightly different Saturday closing times. Both say it’s closed Sunday and Monday. Appointments are available, and they’re the smart move in March and April.
Who ends up here
Florence High School, the Falcons, sends the most students. It has roughly 1,100 of them and is the closest high school to the shop. Lauderdale County brings in Brooks in Killen, Central, Rogers and Wilson out in the county, Lexington, Lauderdale County High in Rogersville, and Waterloo. Across the O’Neal Bridge it’s Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Deshler in Tuscumbia, Colbert Heights, Colbert County High in Leighton, and Cherokee. Prom season in this part of Alabama lands in the spring, well before proms up north. The same staff are fitting bridal parties and tuxedos at the same time.
If the Shoals doesn’t have it, the next stop is about seventy miles east on U.S. 72 to Huntsville.
Downtown on fitting day
Mobile Plaza is a short walk from the Lauderdale County courthouse and the University of North Alabama campus. Parking downtown is street parking, and it tightens up at lunch and on First Friday nights. Court Street’s restaurants and shops are a block away, so a fitting pairs easily with lunch. Billy Reid’s flagship has been at 114 N. Court since 2004. In July the plaza outside fills up for Handy on the Plaza, the downtown kickoff to the W.C. Handy Music Festival.