Sizes 000 through 32, plus 14W through 32W, sit in the in-stock search on the Pistol Blondies website, and that filter is the first thing to use before heading downtown. A size 2 shopper and a size 24W shopper can both see what is actually on the racks at the North Main Street store before anyone gets in the car.
The shop opened in April 2021 with 110 gowns. Today it carries more than 3,000, by its own count. Lexie Coker and Libby Herring, a mother and daughter, founded it and still sign the site's welcome note, and they describe the business as a prom and formal boutique built around pageant gowns, homecoming dresses and special occasion fashion as well. Amory sits in Monroe County, in northeast Mississippi, and the store's trade area follows the county schools: Amory High in town, Hatley, Hamilton and Smithville in the Monroe County district, with Nettleton and Aberdeen close by.
What hangs on the racks, by type
The designer menu on the website splits the collection into long prom, short styles and specialty lines. Grouped the way the store groups them:
Long prom
- Alyce Paris
- Amarra
- Ashley Lauren
- Ava Presley
- Colette
- Ellie Wilde
- Johnathan Kayne
- Portia and Scarlett
- Rachel Allan
- Tease prom by Sydney's Closet
Short and homecoming
- Alyce Paris Short
- Amarra Short
- Ava Presley Shorts
- Rachel Allan Short
- Sydney's Closet Shorts
Plus size
- Sydney's Closet
- Johnathan Kayne for Sydney's Closet
- Plus Size Prom and Plus Size Short as their own categories
Girls' pageant
- Sugar Kayne
- Tiffany Princess
Johnathan Kayne gets the most room on the homepage. The featured styles there, including the Joshua McKinley for Johnathan Kayne pieces, run from $400 to $1,290, which gives a family a fair anchor for the top of the range before the first fitting. There is even a filter for dresses with pockets.
Short dresses deserve their own paragraph. The founders write that they are honored to be the leading seller of short homecoming gowns in the state of Mississippi, and the short categories on the website are nearly as deep as the long ones. For prom shoppers, the payoff is that most of the big labels here come in both a long and a short version, so the choice between floor length and above the knee does not mean switching designers.
Every gown we see grace a stage or walk a football field we get an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.
Lexie and Libby put that sentence on the About page, right after the story of the 110 gowns, and the football field reference is the most local line on the whole site, a nod to homecoming season, which sits right beside prom on this store's calendar.
Buying online versus walking in
The website is a full catalog, not a brochure, and the Online Sales Policy explains how it works.
Prices
The designer's suggested retail price, because the designers the shop represents do not allow lower advertised prices. A much cheaper listing elsewhere for the same style is a sign of a counterfeit.
Follow-up
A personal check on size, color and availability, plus confirmation that the gown will arrive before the wear date.
Full return and credit
If the shop ships the wrong style, color or size, or if a gown cannot arrive in time.
Everything else
Online purchases are not returnable.
For most Amory, Hatley and Smithville families, the shop is close enough that the website works best as a scouting tool. Search the size, save a few styles to the wish list, then call or text to ask what is on the floor.
Pistol Blondies, answered for Monroe County shoppers
Can I check what Pistol Blondies has in my size before going?
Yes. The site has an in-stock search that lets you pick up to three sizes, from 000 through 32 and 14W through 32W, plus a price filter.
What happens if an online order shows up in the wrong size?
If the store shipped a different style, color or size than you ordered, it gives a full return and credit. Online orders are otherwise final, so in-store try-ons are the safer route for anyone nearby.