A family shop on the old National Road
Herman "Herc" and Marlene Lennox opened Lennox East in May 1978, and the store still sits on National Highway in LaVale, the stretch of the historic National Road that links Cumberland and Frostburg. The About page calls it a privately owned business that began as a dream. Today it covers both halves of a prom night. Gowns for prom and homecoming fill one side of the collection, and tuxedo rentals fill the other.
That pairing makes the shop handy for couples anywhere in Western Maryland. A student can try on a dress while a date is measured for a tux, and the store's online booking treats the two as separate appointments, so both can be scheduled for the same afternoon.
30 min
Prom or homecoming gown appointment
30 min
Tuxedo appointment
90 min
A whole homecoming court, so a group of nominees can shop together
Walk-ins are welcome as well as appointments, according to the banner across the store's booking page. The About page sets the tone for any visit, describing each appointment as private and one-on-one.
Prom season has long been a busy stretch here. In a 2015 Cumberland Times-News story about four area proms falling on the same May night, Marlene Lennox was photographed arranging prom gowns for display and spoke about the crunch that schedule would put on local businesses.
What hangs on the prom racks
The store's online collection is organized by occasion: prom, homecoming, quinceañera, bridal, bridesmaids, mothers, kids, and men's tuxedos and accessories. Prom styles posted to the site come from Clarisse and Lucci Lu, with Clarisse also showing up in the homecoming section. Quinceañera gowns come from Morilee and Christina Wu, and the tuxedo side runs on Milano Formals. The website posts a small sample of styles, so the full range is best seen in person. Filters for neckline, silhouette, sleeve and color make it easy to save a few favorites to the wishlist before a visit.
The About page closes its list of values on a line about families, and it is the one that sticks.
We've dressed mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. Your memories are our legacy.
That generational pull runs through the trade area. Fort Hill and Allegany High in Cumberland and Mountain Ridge in Frostburg cover Allegany County's public high schools, and LaVale sits between the two towns. Keyser and Frankfort High in Mineral County, West Virginia, sit just across the Potomac, and the store's donation partner works out of Keyser. Prom here comes with a date, a tux and a ride, and this is a shop that plans for all of them.
Lennox East in LaVale: before you go
Can I drop off an old prom dress for someone else?
Yes. The donations page accepts clean prom and homecoming gowns, tuxedos and dress suits, cleaned dress shoes, ties, jewelry and clutches. Drop-offs happen during business hours without an appointment. Bridal gowns and stained or damaged pieces are not accepted.
How long should I plan for a prom fitting?
The booking page lists prom and homecoming appointments at thirty minutes, the same length as a tuxedo appointment. Book both if a couple is shopping together.