Emmy Bensman started this business in 1979 in a small house in Fort Loramie. The name stuck, the house didn't. Current owners Lori Rindler and Anne Puthoff later moved Emmy's to a storefront in Minster's Eagle Plaza, which the store locates the way locals do: directly across State Route 66 from the high school football field. Prom has been part of the business for most of that run, and the buying has always had a small-town shopper in view.
Bringing big-time trends to our small-town girls.
That slogan heads the store's prom page. The site adds that Emmy's has been dressing prom and homecoming shoppers across Ohio and Indiana for more than 40 years, and that its buyers pick styles with local budgets in mind.
Prices, sizes and labels
Emmy's publishes its price ranges, which is more useful than any adjective. The table below shows its regular-priced ranges and in-stock sizes.
| Category | Regular price range | In-stock sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Prom dresses | $199 to $700 | 000 to 30 per the prom page |
| Homecoming dresses | $80 to $300 | 000 to 28 per the FAQ |
Sale stock usually runs lower in every department, and the summer sample sale has advertised prom dresses starting at $99. If you're shopping on a tight number, that's the event to watch for.
The prom collection is organized by label. ENVY is the house's own line, with an "Envy Looks for Less" group for shoppers who want the look at a lower price. Primavera and Johnathan Kayne are the named designer lines, and Emmy's Curvy Collection is its own section, not an afterthought on the end of a rack. There's a separate homecoming page, and the store keeps homecoming stock on the floor for the fall dances.
When the dance is close
Prom and homecoming, right off the rack
- Takes the waiting out of it
Not hanging in the store
Ordered from the manufacturer
- Any gown from the manufacturers and divisions Emmy's represents
- Special orders are final sales
The store asks for a 60% deposit on dress purchases. And if you buy early, there's no need to hang a gown in a packed closet for months: the FAQ says Emmy's will store a purchase at no charge until you pick it up. Payment is flexible, too, with cash, checks, the major cards and tap to pay all accepted.
How a prom visit works
No appointment is needed for prom. Almost every page of the site repeats that, and the FAQ extends it to homecoming. Appointments are for brides, mothers' dresses, bridesmaid groups and tux parties, so a prom shopper can simply walk in. On a busy Saturday, the bridal side will be running its own booked consultations at the same time, so a weekday visit may be the quieter choice.
One thing to plan around: Emmy's no longer alters prom and homecoming dresses. Its in-house alterations are reserved for brides and mothers who bought there. The store does keep a referral list of local seamstresses, available on request. Ask for it the day you buy, because the good ones get busy as prom season closes in.
The other planning note is weather. The store asks shoppers to call before driving in on a bad-weather day to make sure it's open. Keep that in mind for a January prom trip from Mercer or Darke County.
Prom dates are covered here too.
Tuxedo and suit rentals
Jim's Formal Wear
Partnership
More than 40 years, for weddings and prom night
Regular price
$160 to $240
Fitting
Measured in store, with styling help
Out-of-town groomsmen can even have their rentals drop-shipped, which is mostly a wedding perk, but it shows how much of the formalwear side runs through this one shop.
The towns that shop here
The Midwest Athletic Conference schools are the heart of the trade area: Minster, New Bremen, Fort Loramie, Marion Local, St. Henry, Coldwater and Versailles, small schools where the whole junior class knows each other's dresses. The bigger public schools nearby send shoppers too, including Sidney, Wapakoneta, Celina, St. Marys Memorial and Piqua. Emmy's own service list stretches from Lima to Greenville and across the line to Jay County, Portland and Union City in Indiana. For prom shoppers anywhere in west-central Ohio, a stop here comes with published prices and a deep size range.
Brides and mothers have their own collections here too, along with flower girl and first communion dresses, but for prom shoppers the walk-in racks are the reason to come.
Emmy's prom FAQ
Do I need an appointment to shop prom at Emmy's?
No. Prom and homecoming shoppers can walk in. Appointments are for bridal, mothers', bridesmaid and tuxedo customers.
Will Emmy's alter my prom dress?
No. Emmy's alters bridal and mothers' gowns only, but it keeps a referral list of local seamstresses for prom and homecoming dresses.
What does a prom dress cost at Emmy's?
The store lists regular-priced prom dresses from $199 to $700, with homecoming dresses from $80 to $300 and sale racks below that.