Rice N' Ribbon

Rice N' Ribbon has been open since at least 1977. Arna Rice built it, and it is still in the family. After her passing, her daughter Amanda took the torch, and the staff still go by the nickname the About page uses for them: Arna's Aces. The store occupies a historic building on Main Street in Rockport, the Spencer County seat on the Ohio River, and the designer list inside it is longer than anyone driving past would guess.

The About page credits Arna with close friendships across the industry, naming Sherri Hill, Johnathan Kayne and Jovani among them. Those relationships show on the racks. When the boxes arrive from market, new prom, bridal and mother's dresses are unpacked and tagged, and the shop says new prom, bridal and mother's dresses arrive daily.

Prom labels at the Rockport shop

The online prom menu reads like a buyer's tour of the current market, and homecoming and short dresses get their own section.

There is more to the menu than designer names. The shop runs its own Exclusive Prom Catalog and a Top 10 Prom page, and it keeps separate categories for plus-size prom, pageant gowns, feathers, florals, ruffles and simpler silhouettes.

Pageant is not an afterthought here; it has its own category, and Johnathan Kayne and Jasz Couture are labels pageant contestants look for by name.

For families in Spencer County, the selection is the reason to shop at home. South Spencer High School is the local school, and the shop is within reach of Heritage Hills in Lincoln City, Tell City High School to the east and Boonville High School to the northwest. The William H. Natcher Bridge on US 231 puts Owensboro, home to Apollo and Daviess County high schools, on the other end of a single river crossing.

The store treats the trip into town as part of the appointment. Its Explore Rockport page welcomes shoppers visiting in person and points them toward the town's restaurants and bars once the fitting is done. A gown appointment on Main Street, a meal in town, and a look at the Ohio River make an afternoon out of what would otherwise be an errand.

How to shop Rice N' Ribbon well

The shop runs on appointments for part of the week, and its website is built to be used before you arrive. A sensible order of operations:

1. Browse the prom collections online by designer, and use the in-stock size search, which starts at 000, to see which styles are actually hanging in Rockport in your size.
2. Request an appointment through the site, or call or text the shop. Friday and Saturday hours are set aside for appointments, and the banner on the homepage invites shoppers to set one up.
3. Ask about layaway if the gown needs to be paid off over time. The shop offers it and handles the details by phone.
4. Decide in the fitting room. All sales are final, with no returns.

The online sales policy is unusually detailed and worth a read for anyone comparing prices on the internet.

Prom is the core of the year, but the store also handles bridal gowns from Moonlight Bridal and Morilee and mother's dresses from MGNY for Morilee. Those departments share the same Main Street building and the same team. For shoppers anywhere in southwestern Indiana and across the river, though, Rice N' Ribbon is first a place to find a prom or pageant gown with a designer label on it, sold by people who know the town.

The shop sums up its standing in five words on its own homepage.

Southern Indiana's Best Kept Secret!

Rice N' Ribbon in Rockport: two quick answers

Does Rice N' Ribbon carry plus-size prom dresses?

Yes. The site has a Plus Size Prom category and a dedicated Faviana plus-size section, and the in-stock size search lets you filter before you visit.

Is layaway available on prom gowns?

Yes. The shop offers layaway; call or text for the terms.