Before it was Sandra Rose, it was Joyce’s Fashions Plus. Before that, Maureen’s Fashion and Bridal Salon. Before that, it was Mabel Meyer selling bridal gowns out of her house. Joyce Svanda bought the store in 1982 and ran it about 14 years. Sandy Slama, who grew up in Tyndall, bought it from Svanda on October 14, 1996, and told the Mitchell Republic she only landed on her own name after failing to think of a catchier one.
Slama has a fashion merchandising degree from the Art Institute of Colorado and originally planned to leave southeastern South Dakota for good. She married a farmer instead. The store has been the only clothing boutique in Tyndall and the only bridal shop in Bon Homme County, a county of roughly 7,000 people whose seat, Tyndall, has about 1,050.
What that means if you live around here
Highway 50 runs through Tyndall and meets Highway 37 at the edge of town, which is how most people arrive. Bon Homme High School is a few blocks away on Fir Street; the district also covers Springfield and Tabor. The rest of the driving radius is the Cavaliers’ schedule — Avon, Scotland/Menno, Wagner, Parkston, Andes Central/Dakota Christian, Marty Indian, Yankton. Those are the towns close enough that a Saturday appointment in Tyndall is a short trip rather than a day.
Slama has been blunt about where her competition actually sits: not down the street, but Sioux Falls or Omaha, both far enough that going there is a planned expedition. “Brides will travel,” she said. So do prom shoppers, in both directions. A store in a town this size only works if the selection justifies the drive, which is the whole bet of the place.
Prom labels and what else is in the building
For prom, Sandra Rose is an authorized retailer for Alyce Paris and Dave & Johnny — Alyce Paris for the heavily beaded, structured end of the market, Dave & Johnny for shorter and simpler pieces at lower price points. The shop also appears on the Dessy Group’s retailer list for bridesmaids and on the Jim’s Formal Wear locator for tux rental, so a couple can get both halves of prom night handled in one stop. Its own online store lists prom gowns alongside flower girl dresses, mothers’ dresses, shoes, shapewear and accessories, plus everyday boutique clothing.
Alterations are done in-house and always have been. Slama has said she and her mother, Thelma Koupal, both learned to sew young, and that when she started she had to work out things like bustling a dress by trial and error because the dress companies she called could not help her.
Before you go
- The shop takes appointments through a booking page on its own website.
- The Jim’s Formal Wear locator lists it open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 to 6, with Saturday by appointment and Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday closed. Call (605) 589-3992 before driving in.
- Around 2015 Slama was building a larger store on Main Street near Security State Bank, going from about 1,200 square feet to roughly 5,400, specifically to add dressing rooms and a real alterations room. Her stated reason for more fitting space: at prom time, there was always a wait.