New gowns and consigned gowns hang side by side at Violet's on Henri de Tonti Boulevard.
Out front
Current-season racks
- Led by Sherri Hill, Jovani and the other prom houses
Tucked inside
Pearls consignment
- Billed as the largest formal consignment shop in Arkansas
Pearls consignment sizes
000 to 30
- 000
- 00
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 30
Consigned gowns run from size 000 to 30.
A junior from Har-Ber can price both in the same afternoon, and leave with whichever one fits the budget.
Owner Stephanie Oelschlaeger has built the store around that kind of range. Violet's lists prom, homecoming, pageant and bridal as its four specialties, and the store credits itself with having "quickly risen to the top" in all four.
How the racks are organized
The formal side splits into four groups: Consignment by Pearls, plus three label groups where a few names show up more than once. The couture group is kept for the most built-up gowns.
Prom & Special Occasions
Couture
- Sherri Hill
- Jovani
Pageant
- Ava Presley
- Jovani
- Sherri Hill
- Violet's Babe
Homecoming has its own collection each fall, and gala gowns are carried too, so the same racks can carry a shopper from a September homecoming through a spring prom and a summer pageant.
The finishing pieces are here too. The store lists veils, faux fur wraps, jewelry, tiaras and belts among its accessories, with a limited amount in stock and the rest available to order.
Planning a Violet's prom visit
The store is open seven days a week, with shorter hours on Sunday, which gives Springdale and Rogers families a weekend option even during the busiest weeks of the season. Bridal shopping at Violet's is by appointment, with two-hour sessions and a pre-opening luxury appointment for bigger groups, but prom shoppers are not held to that rule. The store invites shoppers to call and book a time, which is the simplest way to make sure a stylist is free when a prom group arrives.
Alterations are handled through a third-party seamstress the store refers customers to, rather than in the boutique itself, so a family should build a separate fitting into the calendar after the dress is chosen.
Henri de Tonti Boulevard is the US 412 stretch that runs west from Springdale toward Tonitown, and it is an easy hop for students at Springdale High, Har-Ber and the Don Tyson School of Innovation. Rogers High, Rogers Heritage and Bentonville West students come down I-49, and Fayetteville High families are a short way south. For girls across northwest Arkansas, the mix of current designer stock and a deep consignment room means one store can cover a wide spread of budgets, from a first homecoming dress to a senior-year couture gown.
The store describes the owner's standing in town in a single line.
Stephanie is known in our community for caring and and supporting the young ladies of northwest Arkansas.
Violet's in Springdale: prom questions
What sizes does the Pearls consignment corner carry?
The store says its consignment selection runs from size 000 to 30, with more than 1,000 gowns.
Which prom designers are on the new-gown racks?
Alyce Paris, Ashley Lauren, Ava Presley, Jovani, Primavera Couture, Sherri Hill and Tarik Ediz, with Sherri Hill and Jovani also in the couture section.