A store opened to shorten the drive
Before there was a Goldsboro store, shoppers from all over the eastern part of the state were already making the trip to Denise Bass's first shop in Smithfield. When she opened Carley's Formals here in late 2017, she told the Goldsboro News-Argus exactly why: business was coming her way from Greenville, Jacksonville and Duplin County, and a second shop made it a little closer for those customers. For prom families in Wayne County and beyond, the racks were suddenly much closer to home.
The first Goldsboro storefront was in Cobblestone Place. Today the company's website lists the shop on Millbrook Village Drive, west of downtown Goldsboro. Rosewood High, Charles B. Aycock up in Pikeville, Goldsboro High, Eastern Wayne, Southern Wayne in Dudley and Spring Creek round out the Wayne County high schools whose proms the store serves.
The opening article laid out what Bass wanted the store to be, and it is still a useful picture of the shop:
- Every budget
- Bass said she saw a need for dresses at every price point, from about $200 to $1,500 and up. The prom gowns posted online today follow that spread, with Ava Presley styles in the mid $300s to high $500s and Jovani reaching past $1,000.
- Real variety
- At opening she counted more than 400 dresses and said each of her stores carries different designers and styles.
- Wide sizing
- Pageant sizes ran from 12 months through adult size 32, a range that suits a family with a little sister on the pageant circuit and an older one shopping for prom.
- A big deal at checkout
- Bass described asking each buyer whether she has found her dress, making a fuss when she says yes, and taking a picture for the shop's wall of fame.
One dress, one prom
The detail that sets the shop apart is its registry. Duplicate dresses are a real worry in a county where a handful of high schools all hold prom in the same few spring weeks.
"We register our dresses," she said. "Like for proms and pageants, so when the event comes around, the dress the customer purchases is logged out so they know it's already been purchased by someone else and they won't duplicate it."
Bass gave that explanation to the Goldsboro News-Argus. Tell the staff your school and prom date when you buy so your gown can be logged to your event.
The racks themselves lean on two prom labels. Jovani brings the statement gowns, and Ava Presley covers prom and homecoming at friendlier prices. Rachel Allan joins Ava Presley for homecoming, and the pageant side includes ASHLEYlauren kids' styles and Johnathan Kayne children's gowns. Shoes, earrings and the house Carley's Couture jewelry sit near the gowns, and tuxedo rentals cover the date. Bridal was part of the Goldsboro mix when the store opened, but prom and pageant are what the company leads with now.
Bass also runs the original Carley's Formals in Smithfield, and the two locations share one website. Because each store stocks different things, phone the Goldsboro store about a specific style first, especially since the company has said it will post updated Goldsboro hours on the site. For families across eastern North Carolina, that quick call is the best first step.
Shopping Carley's in Goldsboro
Does Carley's Formals keep track of prom dresses by school?
Yes. The owner has said the store registers dresses for proms and pageants, logging each sold gown to its event so another customer headed to the same event does not buy the same dress there.
Can my prom date rent a tuxedo here too?
Yes. The company lists tuxedo rentals in several colors alongside its gowns.
Can I return a dress?
No. Every sale at Carley's is final, and the posted policy rules out returns and exchanges alike.