Bianca Jackson grew up in Springfield, took four years of fashion classes at Central High School and went on to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. When The Reminder profiled her in 2006, Just B was a contemporary clothing shop on Sumner Avenue in the Forest Park area, and her motto for getting dressed was "just be yourself." The store has been in business since 2004, and the name stuck as the shop turned toward prom. These days the shop sells itself as a year-round boutique and a mecca for exclusive prom fits, now at a new location on Allen Street.
Just B is committed to creative expression and matching their clients with rare, custom dresses for the moments that matter most.
That mission statement opens Just B's About page, and the paragraphs below it fill in the claims behind it. By its own account, Just B is the only minority-owned, women-run special occasion boutique serving the greater Western Mass community, with Bianca at the center of it for more than a decade. It also promises more than 500 dresses in stock, in sizes 0 through 32.
Bianca has also worked as a fashion correspondent for an NBC and CW affiliate. When prom season was upended, she introduced the Porch Prom, which the store describes as a way to make sure the joy of the season was reimagined rather than cancelled.
What the store stocks for prom
Ten labels make up the designer list on the site, and the ones with pages in this guide are linked: Sherri Hill, Jovani, La Femme, Jessica Angel, Faviana, Dave & Johnny, Amarra, Clarisse, Portia & Scarlett and Trendy Dress. The homepage features Trendy Dress heavily, with recent styles listed between about $225 and $495, and a separate Just B Under $300 collection gathers the lower-priced gowns in one place.
The website is a sample, not the full inventory. Many dresses in the shop never appear online, and staff can take orders for styles and colors that are not posted. That size range matters too. A spread that wide means a student who wears a 24 or a 28 can try on dresses in the room instead of guessing from a chart.
Service is the other half of the pitch. The About page promises white glove service and personalized styling, and the shop's testimonials page is full of prom shoppers thanking the owner and the stylists by name for sticking with them from the first dress through prom day.
Ordering when the dress is not on the rack
For shoppers who find a style online or want a color the store does not have on hand, the site lays out a phone-order route.
The call
Give the designer, style and color you want; staff answer sizing and color questions on the call, can order styles and colors that are not on the website, and complete the order over the phone
Before you commit
Check the size and color twice, because orders cannot be canceled or exchanged
Three to five business days
The order is processed
At least two weeks more
Arrival by standard shipping, with faster options for a fee
All sales at Just B are final, with no refunds or exchanges, in the store or online. The safest route is to try on in person, which is what the boutique is built for.
Who shops Just B
Bianca's own alma mater, Springfield Central High School, is the city's largest high school, and Springfield High School of Science and Technology, Putnam Vocational Technical Academy and Springfield High School all hold proms of their own. Just outside the city, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Chicopee Comprehensive, Agawam, West Springfield and Minnechaug Regional in Wilbraham round out the Pioneer Valley schools on the shop's doorstep. As a special occasion boutique serving western Massachusetts, Just B pitches itself to that whole region rather than one neighborhood.
The shop also hosts bridal parties for brides who buy their gowns there, with champagne and photos, though prom is clearly the core of the business.
Questions before a Just B fitting
How big does Just B's size range go?
Size 0 through size 32, spread across the 500-plus dresses the boutique keeps in stock.
Can I order a dress I saw online but not in the store?
Yes. Call the shop with the style and color. It can order styles not on its website and process the order by phone, but every sale is final.