Thousands of gowns hang in this Douglasville store, and the staff would rather you not walk past most of them with your mind made up. Prom USA wants the plan left at the door.
Come with an open mind! While it's good to have an idea of the style or color you are looking for, we have THOUSANDS of prom dresses and pageant dresses to choose from, and we don't want you to miss out on THE dress because you weren't open to looking outside the box.
That tip opens the store's prom shopping guide. It is a big inventory claim, and the store backs it with a long designer list and a floor that runs from size 000 through 30. Prom USA opened its doors in Douglasville in 1990, and it is still family owned and operated. If your mom bought a prom dress in Douglas County, she may well know this place.
Exit 37I-20
In the Cloverleaf Village Shopping Centre on Fairburn Road, a quarter mile south of the interstate, per the store's own directions.
The designers on the racks
Prom USA is built around the prom and pageant floor. The site lists its prom and pageant labels by name, and the roster is deep: Sherri Hill, Jovani and its JVN line, Portia & Scarlett, Rachel Allan including its Couture, Curves and Prima Donna lines, Primavera Couture, Alyce Paris, Dave & Johnny in long, plus and short styles, La Femme and Gigi by La Femme, Morilee, Jessica Angel, Tiffany, House of Wu and Studio 17. Homecoming gets its own short-dress lineup, with Aleta among the labels.
The store also carries Spanx, jewelry and accessories, so shapewear and earrings can be sorted at the same counter as the gown. Dresses can be bought off the floor, or special ordered from the designers when a style is in stock in the size and color you want. The site says special orders typically arrive in 7 to 10 business days, with rush options available.
The shopping guide sounds like a stylist talking you through the floor. Gowns generally range from $50 to $1,000 and up.
What the Prom USA guide asks
- Share a budget with your stylist
- Wear neutral undergarments
- Skip bold makeup, since lipstick and contour transfer onto gowns other shoppers will try
- Keep your group small during peak season
Trust your stylist is the theme running through all of it; the store says many customers end up loving a gown they would never have pulled themselves.
Appointments, alterations and tuxedos
The details shoppers ask about most come from the store's FAQ, appointment and tuxedo pages.
Prom appointments
Offered, not required. Without one, fitting rooms and stylists are first come, first served.
Guests
Prom appointments can bring two guests.
Alterations
Handled outside the store, by local seamstresses it refers shoppers to.
Returns
All sales final, in store and online.
The alterations answer on the store's FAQ deserves a full read. Prom USA is candid that most formal gowns need some alteration for the best fit, and it prefers to point you to specialists with the right equipment. You are not required to use its recommendations. If you just want to be measured for a dress you are ordering elsewhere, the store will do it for a $15 fee.
The tux counter lets a Douglasville couple settle both outfits at Prom USA. Rentals come from Jim's Formal Wear, which means there is no tux inventory in the store.
Tux counter
Jim's Formal Wear rentals
Complete rental
$119.95 to $179.95
Covers
Jacket, pants, shirt, vest and tie; shoes and upgrades extra
Order
At least two weeks ahead, four to six recommended
Measurements
Taken in store
Rooted in Douglas County
The store's About page notes its support for Becca's Closet, a nonprofit that gives formal gowns to students who need them, with a local chapter at Douglas County High School. That is a fitting partner for a prom shop that has been dressing this county since 1990.
Douglas County High, Alexander, Chapel Hill, New Manchester and Lithia Springs are the big public schools in the county Prom USA calls home. The store describes its own reach as the whole southeast. For a broader look at prom shopping in west Georgia and beyond, the state page lists other shops.
Bridal is part of the business here as well, with a private bridal suite and its own appointment calendar. But the busiest weeks of the year belong to prom, pageant, homecoming and quinceañera shoppers, and the store's prom guide makes it clear who it is talking to: it's finally dress shopping time, and the team can't wait to meet you.
Prom USA questions, from alterations to online orders
How long does a special order take at Prom USA?
The site says special orders typically arrive in 7 to 10 business days, with rush options available. A gown can be ordered from the designer when the style is in stock in the size and color you want.
Does Prom USA do alterations?
No, alterations happen outside the shop. The store recommends local seamstresses, and using its recommendations is optional.
Can I order a dress online?
Yes. The store sells online, with free standard shipping in the contiguous U.S. on orders of $200 or more before tax. All online and in-store sales are final.