Prom shopping in Towson has a fixed address on the fourth floor of Towson Town Center. Ransom's Boutique was founded in Towson in 1996, and owner Byron Ransom is a hands-on presence in his own fitting room, pinning, adjusting and weighing in on accessories. That picture comes from The Baltimore Banner, which visited the shop for a May 2026 column on Black Baltimore prom culture. Its reporter watched him drape a glittering appliqué onto the velvet shoulder of a Cristo Rey Jesuit junior's suit while a 17-year-old from Loch Raven High came out of the dressing room in a possible prom dress.
The column was about the online sneering that big Baltimore proms attract, and Ransom's answer, as columnist Leslie Gray Streeter put it, is to smile and add more sparkles. "We're the opposite of what you see online," he said as he worked. Elsewhere in the column he summed up the approach in four words: "Nothing is too extravagant."
What the store is built around
The shop's homepage puts the mission in one long sentence, capital letters and all.
Serving greater Baltimore since 1996, Ransom's Boutique specializes in Formal Wear Black Tie Fashions for special event including Proms, Homecomings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Quinceanera, Sweet 16, Weddings, & more.
Prom leads that list, and the racks are stocked for both halves of a couple. The Banner noted that boys used to match a cummerbund to their date's dress and call it done; at Ransom's they now try on suits with the same attention to fit and shine that the gowns get. WMAR-2 News, featuring the shop in its Shop Small series, described the stock the same way: gowns, suits and accessories for proms, homecomings, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and Sweet 16 parties.
The labels the store names on its brands page are a strong prom lineup, and the list ends with "AND MANY MORE...."
Jovani, Portia & Scarlett, Primavera, Clarisse, Terani Couture and Jessica Angel cover most of the trend-driven styles a Baltimore County senior will have saved on a phone. Paul Rekhi and Lara round out the named list. Sydney's Closet is there for extended sizes, so a shopper who wears a 20 or a 24 is not stuck flipping through two hangers at the end of a rack. The site also lists shirts and accessories, which is how a suit gets finished without a second stop elsewhere in the mall.
Booking a time slot
The store keeps regular hours, but it runs try-ons through a booking calendar, with three appointment types offered online.
Browsing, 30 minutes
For seeing what is on the racks and narrowing down a style.
Fitting, 30 minutes
For trying on and checking the fit of a chosen piece.
Custom, one hour
The longest slot the store offers.
Sundays
Appointments are preferred for try-ons.
After you request
Call the store to verify the booking.
Couples shopping for a gown and a suit together should mention both when they book, so the slot covers each.
Baltimore County schools that shop the Towson mall
Towson sits at the center of Baltimore County, and the mall pulls from every direction. Towson High and Loch Raven High are the closest public schools, Dulaney High is a few miles north in Timonium, and Parkville and Perry Hall send students in from the east side of the county. The Banner's reporting adds Baltimore City to the map, with a Cristo Rey Jesuit student in for a suit. For families across central Maryland, a formalwear shop that has been in Towson since 1996 is a familiar name.
The owner's own summary of why he does it is in the same Banner piece. "To me, it's a privilege to watch them," Ransom said. "That's the joy, seeing them come into their own."
Ransom's Boutique, Towson: shopper questions
Does Ransom's carry suits for prom dates?
Yes. The store sells formal suits along with gowns, and the Banner's 2026 visit found boys being fitted and accessorized alongside their dates.
Are there extended sizes?
Sydney's Closet, a label focused on fuller-figure formalwear, is on the store's brands page. Mention your size when you book so the browsing slot is used well.