Vera's Ladies Apparel

Why Medina County prom shoppers end up on Route 18

Vera Boumadi started this business the way a lot of parents wish they could. After dressing three teenage daughters for school dances, prom and eventually their weddings, she realized there was a high demand for elegant, high-quality evening gowns, and she opened her own shop. Vera's Ladies Apparel has been selling them since 2002. The Medina store opened in November 2016, and today it advertises more than 2,500 gowns.

That number matters for prom. A big inventory means more sizes to try on, more colors in hand and less guessing from a catalog photo. The shop does its buying at leading fashion markets in Las Vegas, Chicago and New York, which it says helps customers land a one-of-a-kind look.

The second thing that sets this shop apart is the person running it. Vera is a professional seamstress and tailor, and she does alterations on site. That covers gowns bought at Vera's and gowns bought somewhere else. The shop's own pitch is blunt on this point: don't buy online and hope it fits. Try it on, get it fitted, and know.

Vera and her husband, Sami, co-own the business. The couple raised their kids in Copley, and they also run Boumadi Clothier, a men's store in business since 1984 that is connected to Vera's in the same suite. That's handy in the spring. Boumadi's carries suits and tuxedos in all sizes, Big and Tall included, with made-to-measure options, so a prom date can be measured next door while the dress gets pinned.

The prom page makes a promise most girls will want to hear twice:

We have a wide selection and never sell the same dress twice for the same prom!

So mention which school and which dance you're shopping for when you find the one.

Vera's prom labels, from Jovani to Tony Bowls

Vera's lists the labels it carries on its site, and it can special order any style from its prom designers. The lineup breaks down by category.

For prom, that's a strong mix. Jovani, Mac Duggal and Scala cover the heavily beaded, red-carpet end. Ellie Wilde and Jasz bring trendy two-pieces, cutouts and open backs. Alyce Paris and Clarisse fill in classic silhouettes across a wide size range. If you've been saving screenshots all winter, there's a good chance one of these labels made the dress.

Mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom dresses fill a good share of the Route 18 floor, but the prom side gets its own page, its own designer list and its own promise about duplicate dresses.

Because Vera's can order any style from its prom designers, the dress you saved online doesn't have to be hanging on the rack for you to get it. Try on something close in the store to lock in your size, then order the exact style and color. Just leave room on the calendar. A special order needs time to arrive, and the alterations come after that, so starting in January or February takes the pressure off the weeks before the dance.

The shop is in Montville Township on Medina Road, which is State Route 18, just east of the city of Medina near Windfall Road. The mailing address says Medina.

Medina High School is the hometown school, and the rest of Medina County is close by: Highland High in Granger Township, Brunswick High, Wadsworth High, Buckeye High and Cloverleaf High in Lodi. Families from Copley and Revere high schools, over the line in Summit County, shop here as well. For anyone in this corner of northeast Ohio, this is a shop where the gown, the alterations and the tux share a single suite.

Vera's takes walk-ins, though its site highly recommends an appointment, and in March and April that advice is sound. A booked slot gives you time to try on what you came for and talk through alterations without a line behind you.

Vera's prom FAQ

Can Vera alter a prom dress I bought somewhere else?

Yes. Vera does alterations on site for gowns bought in the store and for outside purchases.

Where does a prom date get fitted while the gown is pinned?

Next door. Boumadi Clothier, the men's store connected to Vera's in the same suite, carries suits and tuxedos in all sizes, Big and Tall included, with made-to-measure options.

Can Vera's order a prom dress I found online?

If it's from one of the prom designers the store lists, yes. The store can order any style from those labels, so bring the style number with you.