No appointment is needed at Little Black Dress. Its FAQ answers the scheduling question with a simple instruction to stop by, which suits a store built around volume, variety and the walk-in browse. The About page sums up the shop's focus in two sentences.
Little Black Dress is the hot spot for prom, homecoming and Quinceanera. We are locally owned and operated since 2012.
The numbers back that up. The shop reports thousands of dresses in stock, with new arrivals every week, and its prom page admits there is no way to show every style online. You have to come in. Sizes run from 0 to 30, and because sizing varies from one label to the next, the staff will measure you first so you know where to start. That one step saves a lot of zipper wrestling in the fitting room.
The designer logos on the shop's own gallery pages include Alyce Paris, Clarisse, Rachel Allan and Dave & Johnny, along with Sydney's Closet and Colors Dress. Flirty or funky, sophisticated or sweet, the store promises something on the racks for every look, and its pitch stays centered on affordable prices and a large selection.
On 5th Avenue in downtown Moline, the shop has a tuxedo shop as its next-door neighbor, so a date can be fitted for a tux a few steps away. Quinceañera shoppers are a core customer group here, not an afterthought, and name-brand bridal dresses round out the racks.
Little Black Dress house rules
Little Black Dress keeps its policies short and clear.
Rentals
None. Every dress is for purchase only, which the store attributes to how delicate the gowns are.
Holds
Dresses cannot be held, but staff can open an account for you and add a favorite to it so you can come back to it.
Sales
The store treats every purchase as final.
Payment
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and cash.
Layaway is the big one for prom families. A 50% down payment starts it, and the balance is due a month before your event. For a dress picked out in January for a spring prom, that spreads the cost across a few paychecks without risking the style selling out.
Alterations are not done in-house. Instead, the staff will point you to a list of qualified professionals, so plan for a separate fitting appointment once the dress is home.
Then there is consignment, which turns a dress you are done with into extra cash. The store accepts dresses that are unworn or have been dry cleaned, on a calendar that follows the dance seasons:
- Short dresses (homecoming season)
- June 1 through September 30
- Long dresses (prom season)
- November 1 through May 31
Bridesmaid and wedding dresses are not accepted on consignment. Everything else follows that simple split, so a homecoming dress worn once in the fall can come back the following summer, and a prom gown can come back in time for someone else's spring.
The customer base reaches both sides of the river. Moline High School sends the closest prom shoppers, with United Township High School in East Moline and Rock Island High School nearby on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. The shop's own pages also reach out to Iowa-side schools: Davenport Central, Davenport North, Davenport West, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott. A store that stays open seven days a week makes the trip easy for all of them, especially in the last two weeks before prom.
Shopping at Little Black Dress
Does Little Black Dress offer layaway?
Yes. Layaway starts with a 50% down payment, and the full balance is due a month before your event.
Can I consign my old prom dress there?
Yes. Long dresses that are unworn or dry cleaned are accepted from November 1 through May 31, and short dresses from June 1 through September 30.