Climb the stairs from the North Main Street sidewalk and the word loft in the name stops being decoration. Blye's occupies the second floor of its downtown building, one block from the storefront where Mrs. Blye first opened the business, and the store describes the room as industrial chic. For a Kokomo junior trying on her first long dress, a second-floor loft away from street traffic makes for a calm fitting.
Several owners have carried the name since Mrs. Blye. Vickie Sofianopoulos and Loradeen Clarkson ran Blye's for more than three decades, and the store's website credits them with building it into one of Indiana's most trusted bridal destinations.
1948
Mrs. Blye opens the business
2019
Laura O'Donnell buys it, per a January 2026 Towne Post profile
March 2024
Heather Duncan joins as store manager
May 2025
Duncan takes ownership
The site also notes that Blye's was named Business of the Year by the Indiana Small Business Development Center.
Duncan's path into the business was not a straight one. Towne Post reported that she spent her earlier career in health care, in physical therapy, long-term care, behavioral health and office management, before a social media post in early 2024 pointed her toward the shop. A year on the sales floor came before the purchase, so the owner who now books prom appointments learned the racks as an employee first. Her note on the About page names prom night directly alongside wedding dresses as the moments the store is built for.
Prom and formal on the second floor
The website's Beyond Bridal page is where prom lives, and it opens with a size promise: 00 through 26 in store. The Towne Post profile reported that the shop's overall size range has since grown to run from zero through 32. The site's featured designers include Mori Lee, and the formal gallery the store posts for prom shoppers is built around Mori Lee prom styles.
What Blye's adds around the dress is the part families tend to remember. The list is longer than the space suggests:
- Prom and formal gowns, with shoes, jewelry and accessories to go with them.
- Tuxedo rentals through Jim's Formal Wear and Dunhill Tuxedos, with some purchase options, though most customers rent.
- On-site spray tanning, which the store pitches as a finishing touch before any big event.
- Referrals to local seamstresses for alterations, which are handled outside the shop.
Tux pricing is spelled out on the store's FAQ, along with how far ahead to plan.
Tuxedos
Rental terms
Price
From $135 to about $250, depending on upgrades and style
Colors
Black, several shades of grey, white, ivory and tan, plus plaids and colored jackets
Fitting
About half an hour to measure and choose
Order
At least one to two months ahead
Out-of-town dates
Measured at any authorized Jim's retailer, with the tux shipped home
Blye's Beauties and the Howard County schools
The store's link to local high schools runs through an ambassador program called Blye's Beauties.
Selected each school year
Students model dresses, appear in the shop's social media, take part in community service and get exclusive in-store opportunities
$500 scholarship
Earned by one graduating senior in the program
Fresh applications
Every applicant, returning or new, applies each year, and finalists sit for in-person interviews
Towne Post reported that the program draws from seven area schools.
The schools in reach are easy to name. Kokomo High School is the big city school, and the county schools ring it: Western in Russiaville, Northwestern, Eastern in Greentown and Taylor to the southeast. None of them is far from downtown. For anyone coming from outside the county, the US 31 bypass now carries through traffic around the east side of the city and the former route through town is signed as State Road 931. A customer review the store publishes on its About page, written by a bride, says she would recommend the shop for wedding, prom and special occasions, which is a fair summary of how the floor is split. For prom season shoppers across north-central Indiana, downtown Kokomo puts the dress, the tux and the tan behind the same door.
Duncan's note frames the shop as a place where every guest feels seen, celebrated and confident. The note opens with a line about what buying Blye's meant to her.
Taking on the ownership of Blye’s is both an honor and a dream come true.
What Kokomo families ask Blye's
How does a student become a Blye's Beauty?
Applications open for each school year on the store's website. Past members are welcome to reapply but must submit a new application, and selected applicants move on to in-person interviews.
How far ahead should a prom date reserve a tux?
Blye's suggests at least one to two months for a rental order, after a fitting of about 30 minutes. Rentals start at $135.