A lot of Coffee County moms bought their own prom dresses at Dresses and Dreams. Now they bring their daughters. By the shop's own count, it has been part of the Douglas community for more than five decades, and its website notes with obvious pride that customers who first walked in as teenagers keep returning years later with the next generation.
The owner's story is the best part. Alexa Smith started asking for a job at the store when she was 15, because it was already her favorite shop in town. In her own telling on the About page, she kept asking until they finally gave her a chance, and she never left. She worked there through high school and college, learning the formalwear business from the inside, until the store was hers. DouglasNow, covering the shop's move, noted that she had learned the trade under the previous owner, Judy Russ.
1976
Part of the Douglas community since at least this year
2012
Alexa Smith buys the store on January 1, at age 25
2018
Expands and relocates into a renovated building in downtown Douglas
A bigger downtown home
The move downtown was a milestone. The Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for it, with neighboring merchants, city officials, family and friends turning out. The store now sits on South Peterson Avenue, right in the downtown blocks where a fitting can turn into lunch and a walk.
The About page has a heading that sums up its pitch to the region: "Small Town. Big Experience." The idea is that a girl should not have to travel to a big city to find a deep selection, sought-after designers and personal styling. For families from Coffee High School in Douglas, and from Atkinson County High in Pearson, Jeff Davis High in Hazlehurst and Irwin County High in Ocilla, that pitch lands. The site says girls travel in from near and far, and in this part of south Georgia that is easy to believe.
The designers on the floor
The website's "Shop by Designer" menu is a who's-who of prom and pageant labels, and each name comes with its own set of collections.
- Sherri Hill
- Prom
- Jovani
- Jovani Prom and Jovani Signature-Pageant
- ASHLEYlauren
- ASHLEYlauren and ASHLEYlauren Kids
- Ava Presley
- Prom, plus Ava Presley Homecoming
- Johnathan Kayne
- Johnathan Kayne and Joshua McKinley by Johnathan Kayne
- Portia and Scarlett
- Portia and Scarlett Prom, Minis and Couture
The homepage banner reads "Prom, Pageant & Homecoming," and that order fits the store's calendar. Prom drives the spring, homecoming carries the fall, and pageant families shop all year. The kids' lines and a children's wear section mean little sisters do not get left out, either. Recent ASHLEYlauren arrivals on the site run from the low $200s to around $1,100, so there is range within a single label.
Making the dress your own
What separates Dresses and Dreams from a rack-and-register shop is how it treats the gown itself. Sometimes, the About page says, the right answer is the dress exactly as it was designed.
For a prom where three girls might love the same Sherri Hill, that is a big deal. A swapped strap, a changed neckline or a borrowed detail from another style can turn a popular gown into a one-of-one. If you are hoping for that kind of work, bring it up on your first visit so there is time to plan it before the dance.
The store frames all of this around confidence more than clothes. It wants every girl to leave feeling seen, valued and celebrated, and it describes the best part of the job as watching a girl stand a little taller when she sees herself in the mirror. The moms, grandmothers, sisters and friends who come along are part of the experience too. After more than fifty years, the philosophy still fits on a single line of the About page.
Decades later, one thing hasn’t changed: people come first, dresses second.
Custom gowns and closed Sundays in downtown Douglas
Can Dresses and Dreams customize a prom dress?
Yes. The store describes changing details, combining elements from different gowns and reimagining a dress so no one else has the same one. Ask about it early in the season.
Which designers does Dresses and Dreams carry?
The website lists Sherri Hill, Jovani, ASHLEYlauren, Ava Presley, Johnathan Kayne, Joshua McKinley by Johnathan Kayne, and Portia and Scarlett.
Is the store open on Sundays?
No. The store closes on Sundays, which it sets aside for family and worship.