Kathy Nardone competed in pageants before she ever sold a prom dress, and won several of them. That background, plus years of fashion modeling and teaching, is what she built Prom Excitement around. She trained her staff herself, and she still travels with two associates to the fashion markets and designer shows to meet the people making the dresses before they ever reach the racks. Her about page sums up the idea behind the shop in one line.
Our store was created on the premise of helping everyone "Feel Special and Look Glamorous."
The space backs it up. Prom Excitement has more than 5,000 square feet of retail floor, large dressing rooms and a staged area where a shopper can step up and see the full gown move. For students across the Wyoming Valley and the rest of northeastern Pennsylvania, it is one of the region's biggest rooms devoted to prom, and the mood is meant to be loud and fun rather than hushed.
The buying trips matter for what ends up on the floor. Because the team meets designers at market each season, new prom styles arrive steadily through the winter. Store sales manager Michelle Lee runs the floor day to day, and the staff are coached to help a shopper narrow a huge selection down to the few dresses that suit her, which is the part of a 5,000-square-foot store that a newcomer most needs.
Walk in, try on, take it home
The store states it in capital letters: you do NOT need an appointment to shop for prom, and walk-ins are encouraged. That makes a Prom Excitement trip easy to fit around a school week. Come after classes with a friend or a parent, pull a few favorites, and keep going.
The designer page lists the labels on the floor for prom, pageant and homecoming: Alyce Paris, Colette, Colors Dress, Ellie Wilde, Jasz Couture, Johnathan Kayne, Primavera Couture, Sherri Hill, Sydney's Closet and Jovani. The homepage adds Tarik Ediz among its one-of-a-kind designer fashions. Prom collections on the site are sorted the way shoppers think about them, by mermaid, ball gown, beaded, knit, satin, chiffon, lace and even jumpsuits, with short full, short beaded and short straight dresses for homecoming.
The house rules are spelled out on the policies page, and they are worth reading before the first visit.
Fitting rooms
Four dresses at a time, hung on hooks, with staff on hand for zippers and hooks.
Photos
None of the store, tags or gowns until a purchase is made; after that, snap away.
Paying
Pay in full and take the dress home that day, or use layaway with half down and pickup within 30 days.
Special orders
Half the retail price up front.
Military and EMS
15% off retail with a valid ID.
Garment bags come free with a full-price purchase, and the store will steam a dress for a set fee by length and style.
50%
off in the Sale Studio, once a designer changes or discontinues a style.
Those dresses were tried on in the store and are sold as is, so look each one over.
More than prom on the same floor
Prom and homecoming fill most of the calendar, but the site carries occasions beyond the school dance.
The "Opulence Room"
Mother-of looks, galas, holiday parties, military balls and what the shop calls "After Five" events
Pageant
A real specialty given the owner's history, shopped by appointment only, unlike prom
Communion and bridal
Communion dresses and a Bridal Gallery for brides
Customers can send in photos for the "Our Girls" gallery.
The shopper base is wide. Wilkes-Barre Area High School is the big local school, and families come from Pittston Area, Wyoming Valley West, Crestwood and Dallas, with Hazleton Area students making the trip up I-81.
Prom Excitement shopping notes
Can I put a prom dress on layaway here?
Yes. Layaway takes a nonrefundable deposit of half the price, and the dress has to be picked up within 30 days of purchase.
Is there a military or first responder discount?
Military and EMS responders receive 15% off retail with a valid ID for their own purchase. Keep in mind that Sherri Hill is excluded from all store promotions.