Hirschfeld's

The Prom Shoppe started as a side door of Hirschfeld's, a North Platte family clothier.

1. 1917

   Brothers Joe and Hyman Hirschfeld come from Denver and take over a downtown clothing store near the railroad tracks at Sixth and Dewey

2. 1963

   The store moves to the corner of Fourth and Dewey

3. 1979

   Alan Hirschfeld, Joe's grandson, comes home and steers the business into tuxedo rental

The brothers sold bib overalls and work caps to railroaders, farmers and ranchers, then pivoted to suits within two decades. The family's own history page says tuxedo rental eventually led to the Prom Shoppe, a formal dress side that now has its own website and its own following across west-central Nebraska.

The Prom Shoppe's own tagline is Nebraska's largest prom and pageant store. Its FAQ counts more than 30 designers and thousands of dresses across the homecoming and prom seasons, in sizes 000 through 30. Prom gowns run from $99 to $1,500. Homecoming dresses start at $49.

One dress per school, and a budget line of its own

The policy that sets this shop apart is about duplicates. Instead of ordering deep runs of a single gown in every size and color, the buyers generally stock one of each dress, which puts more styles on the floor. Then the store keeps a record.

Likewise once you make a purchase, we will not sell that same style to your school (even in a different color!)

For a North Platte High School student, that means nobody else from the Bulldogs' prom walks out of this store in the same gown. Shoppers from Hershey, Maxwell, Sutherland and Brady get the same protection for their own schools, a real comfort in small towns where everyone at the dance knows everyone else.

Price range is the second thing the Prom Shoppe works at. Next to the designer racks sits the store's own Crown Collection, budget-friendly dresses for both homecoming and prom. The site's stated goal is a store that works whether a family wants to spend $49 or $999. Layaway is the most common way people pay here: 20 percent down holds the dress, and the balance is due before pickup.

The prom designer list on the Prom Shoppe site is long. Labels with their own pages in this guide include:

• Sherri Hill, with a pageant custom collection
• Jovani, with pageant and custom couture
• Tarik Ediz and Portia & Scarlett, both with pageant and couture pieces
• Ashley Lauren, including its pageant collection
• Alyce Paris, Amarra, Ava Presley and Ellie Wilde
• Jasz Couture, Johnathan Kayne, La Femme, Primavera Couture and Rachel Allan

Abby Paris, Amelia Couture, Atria Couture, Colors Dress, Juliet, Ladivine, Lindas Plus, Lucci Lu and Nox Anabel round out the prom side. Special orders are available from any designer the store carries, and they can ship directly to families who live too far away to come back for pickup.

Seasons, weekends and the calendar

The shop floor only carries the current season, so timing decides what you see. The FAQ lays out the year this way.

Homecoming

End of July through mid-October

Winter formal

November through the end of January

Prom

December through April

Weekdays during the school year are walk-in friendly. Saturdays and Sundays need a booked appointment, made online, and the FAQ explains why: weekend appointments help create a calmer, more caring visit. Families who show up on a weekend without one are still helped when a fitting room opens, but a booking is the only guarantee. The site also posts a shopping calendar that shows when new dresses land, which weekends carry the biggest selection and when a given designer's collection is in, so a family driving in from Ogallala or Lexington can plan around it.

Pageant work runs all year: the store is the official state wardrobe sponsor of Miss Nebraska and Miss Nebraska's Teen, and it sponsors local titleholders on the way to state, and the Miss Nebraska competition comes to North Platte every June. Crowns & Gowns, a prom and pageant shopping event, has been hosted here for over a decade, with appointments opening in November.

1. February 4 through 8, 2027

   Crowns & Gowns, the biggest week of the prom season

2. Late February or early March

   Prom For All, where girls can pick out a donated, gently used prom dress at no cost

Alterations are done here for dresses bought in the current season, first come, first served while the calendar allows, at flat seasonal rates of $49 for a prom gown and $29 for a short dress. The store does not alter dresses bought elsewhere, or a Prom Shoppe dress that has been resold or handed down. All sales are final, but an unaltered, unworn dress can be exchanged for another within the same season.

The giving side is part of the store's identity too. Prom For All runs on donated dresses, which are taken during regular hours, and a Trade Back program rewards shoppers who bring back an old Prom Shoppe dress.

The tux counter also fits wedding parties, which is about as far into bridal as this store goes; the Prom Shoppe itself sells no wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses or mothers' dresses.

Prom Shoppe questions from North Platte families

Can we come in without an appointment?

On school-year weekdays, yes. Weekend visits during the school year require an online booking, and Crowns & Gowns runs on appointments that open in November.

How does layaway work at the Prom Shoppe?

Put 20 percent down and pay the balance before you take the dress home. The store says layaway is how most of its customers buy.

Will the shop alter a dress from somewhere else?

No. Alterations and measurements are only for dresses bought at the Prom Shoppe in the current season, at a flat fee.