For years, a prom dress in Sterling or Rock Falls meant a road trip. Katy Selmi knows this firsthand. When Selmi's Formal Wear opened inside Sterling's Northland Mall in December 2024, she told Shaw Local's Sauk Valley paper that her own family had been "driving two hours or more to find a dress" for prom and homecoming, and that she suspected many local families were doing the same. So she brought the big prom labels to town.
The business itself goes back to 2022, when Selmi founded it as a tuxedo rental operation, helping local guys get suited up for proms, weddings and other events. According to the store's own history, customers kept asking one question: when would she add dresses? In late 2024 she answered by moving into a new space on Lincolnway and adding more than 300 prom dresses. Today its site presents the shop as the Sauk Valley's destination for tuxedos and prom dresses, with both on the same floor.
A prom store built around the whole couple
That combination is what makes Selmi's useful. A couple can choose a gown and a tux together, coordinate colors on the spot, and deal with a single store when prom weekend comes. One parent's posted testimonial says exactly that: her son ordered his prom tuxedo and flowers for his date while his date picked out her dress, and everything came from one location.
Where Selmi's began
Tuxedo rental through Jim's Formal Wear
Fitting
Browse styles online, book a tux appointment for measurements, then come back for a try-on once it arrives.
Package
Jacket, pants, shirt, vest, tie and shoes
Adjustments
Handled by the store before the event
Selmi has deep roots in the event world. Shaw Local reported that she also owns Selmi's Weddings and Events and Selmi's Flower Shop in Rock Falls and has been in the wedding and events business for more than 20 years. That background shows up in how the dress side runs.
What I enjoy most is the process - working with customers to find the right fit and seeing how much it means to them when we get it just right.
Selmi wrote that line about her work for the store's About page.
The appointment format is a real perk. In Shaw Local's opening story, Selmi described giving each girl her own personal attendant and an hour and a half to try on whatever she wants, with seating for family and friends, pictures welcome, and drinks and refreshments on hand. Walk-ins work too; another review praises being able to just stop in and look without an appointment.
The family connection runs through the business. Shaw Local reported that Selmi's son built the original business plan and budget, and the store set up an ambassador program in which local high school girls model the inventory on social media for discounts. The store also offered a consignment option at opening, letting customers bring in past dresses to sell for a percentage of the sale.
The labels and the logistics
The store's FAQ names its dress designers: Sherri Hill, Jovani, Rachel Allan, Primavera Couture, Amarra, Ashley Lauren and Juliet Dresses. The in-store prom racks currently feature Jovani, Juliet, Primavera, Rachel Allan and Sherri Hill, with sizes running from 000 to 26 plus women's sizes, and the site has a budget-friendly section for shoppers watching the price tag. A dress at Selmi's comes one of two ways.
In the store
The prom racks
- Book an appointment online or stop in during open hours
- An appointment is recommended for sizing help and measurements
Not carried in store
Can be special ordered
- Usually arrives in 14 to 21 days
- Final sale
Either way, the store does not alter dresses in-house but will recommend skilled local tailors. It takes major credit cards and PayPal, and in-store dress purchases and tux rentals are final.
The location helps, too. Northland Mall sits on East Lincolnway, one of Sterling's main commercial roads, so it is a familiar stop for anyone in Whiteside or Lee County. Students from Sterling High School, Newman Central Catholic High School and Rock Falls High School, just across the Rock River, are closest. Dixon High School, Morrison High School, Erie High School and Prophetstown High School round out the map for families across this part of northwest Illinois.
Selmi's final sales and tux rentals
Is a Selmi's dress sale final?
Yes. In-store dress purchases and tux rentals are final, and special orders are final sale too. Those special orders usually arrive in 14 to 21 days.
How does a tux rental work at Selmi's?
It starts with a fitting. Tuxedo rental is where Selmi's began, so the routine is well worn: book a fitting, choose a style, and the store will call you for a try-on once it arrives.