Pauletta Wilson opened her Winchester Avenue store in 1986. It carries the name of Lara Wilson-Clagg, who started working there as a teenager, stayed on while she earned her degree at Marshall University, and now co-owns the shop as the second generation. That family line runs through the whole operation, prom season included.
The idea was a store where a bride could find everything she needed in a single place. A December 2021 feature by Lee Ward in The Daily Independent recounted how Wilson set out to build exactly that, a full-service formalwear store. She began in the old Savage Building with one employee. Two years later the shop pushed into a neighboring space that had sold children's clothing, and later into the former home of Don's Menswear. By the time of that article the staff had grown to 18, seamstresses among them, and the stock had widened from bridal into formal occasions of every kind, from fancy parties to prom.
The prom racks, label by label
Prom has its own door. The store has a separate prom and social-occasion entrance on Winchester Avenue, next to the bridal entrance. It carries these prom lines.
- Sherri Hill, long gowns and short dresses
- Jovani Prom and Jovani Couture, plus JVN
- Terani Prom and Rachel Allan
- Ellie Wilde and Jasz Couture
- Alyce Paris, Amarra and Clarisse
- Ava Presley and Ashley Lauren
- Portia and Scarlett, Primavera Couture and Tiffany Designs
- La Femme and Morilee Prom
The store also carries short homecoming styles from many of those houses, and Jovani and Terani gowns for the pageant stage. For quinceañeras, it carries Morilee's Damas de Vizcaya line. The store lists sizes from 000 to 32 and from 14W to 32W.
The buying is done in person. The store says the family visits several markets each year to pick gowns and accessories with its own customers in mind, and that Lara's is an authorized retailer for the designers it carries. The store says its prices follow each designer's suggested retail, and cautions that a far lower price elsewhere for the same style points to a counterfeit.
Service as the house rule
The 2021 feature included a prom detail. Pauletta Wilson pointed out a white dress trimmed in black lace and mentioned another one, all black, that a girl had ordered for prom. Wilson-Clagg recalled that when the pandemic wiped out school dances, some families held private proms so their students wouldn't miss the tradition, and that prom dress sales had picked back up since. Asked what has kept the store going since 1986, both owners pointed to how customers are treated, and the elder Wilson finished the thought with a line the paper printed in full.
We want every customer to walk out of here feeling pretty, and being satisfied with their purchase.
The store lists its honors.
The Herald-Dispatch
Best in Bridal and Formalwear in the Tri-State
Repeated honors
The Independent
Readers Choice awards
The same list adds membership in the National Bridal Service. Wedding gowns are seen by appointment on weekdays, while Saturdays run walk-in only across the store.
Who makes the trip to Winchester Avenue
Ashland anchors the Kentucky side of the Tri-State, and the store's customer base has always crossed state lines. The Daily Independent noted shoppers arriving from all over the Tri-State and from as far as Morehead and Charleston. Paul G. Blazer High School is the Ashland Independent campus, and Boyd County High School, Russell High School and Greenup County High School fill out the Kentucky schools nearby. Ironton High School sits just across the Ohio River, while Huntington High School and Cabell Midland High School sit down I-64 in West Virginia.
Men's formalwear runs alongside the gowns.
Men's formalwear
Tuxedos and suits
Rental and sale
Lara's rents and sells both
Styles
Hamilton, Havana and Sterling
Behind the bridal entrance
The wedding side of the store carries Allure, Casablanca, Christina Wu, Kitty Chen and Kitty Chen Couture, Maggie Sottero, Martin Thornburg, Morilee with its Blu, Julietta and Voyage collections, Rebecca Ingram, Sophia Tolli, Sottero & Midgley and Wilderly Bride.
Bridesmaid dresses come from Adrianna Papell, Allure Bridesmaids, Bill Levkoff and #LEVKOFF, Christina Wu Celebrations and Morilee, with bridesmaid accessories to match. Mothers shop MGNY by Morilee and Terani's mother of the bride line. Flower girls have Rosebud Fashions and Bill Levkoff's junior and flower girl collection.
Lara's in Ashland, answered
Can a prom date get a tuxedo at Lara's?
Yes. The store rents and sells men's tuxedos and suits.
What sizes does Lara's carry for prom?
The store lists sizes from 000 to 32 and from 14W to 32W.