Drive down Broadway in South Fulton and you can't miss it. Between the old brick storefronts sits a sleek two-story building trimmed in silver and gold, with multiple chandeliers inside. Owner Paige Dennis jokingly calls it "the Taj Mahal of South Fulton," according to a 2024 WKMS profile.
For prom and homecoming, Joann's stocks long gowns, short dresses, plus-size prom and cocktail-length homecoming styles, all in the same building as the pageant collections that made the shop famous in pageant circles.
A family shop that came home
Joann's has been part of the Fulton and Union City story since at least 1985. Dennis's mother started the business in Fulton, on the Kentucky side of the line, and later moved it to Union City. Dennis began her own career at the store decades ago. When her mother retired, she bought the business and brought it back to the Twin Cities. She told WKMS she wanted to "help increase our tax base, support the community" and make South Fulton and Fulton "the place to be."
The new building was designed by a local architect, and it sits on a road that straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Dennis built it to stand out, on purpose. There is room for a grand piano and an audio booth, so pageant contestants can rehearse their talent between fittings.
Led by owner Paige Dennis, Joann’s experts help transform their stable of customers into modern-day princesses with a healthy dose of Southern hospitality, hilarity and honesty that can only be found at the venerable store.
That description of the team comes from the store itself. Dennis has also starred in a Lifetime reality show and appeared in the Netflix program DeMarcus Family Rules, according to WKMS.
What's on the prom racks
The store carries seven prom designers.
- Sherri Hill, including the Sherri Hill Couture line
- Jovani, with prom, couture and short cocktail collections
- Johnathan Kayne, for prom and pageant
- Rachel Allan, including plus-size prom and short homecoming styles
- Tarik Ediz couture gowns
- Portia & Scarlett prom, evening and cocktail dresses
- Aleta, including Aleta Cocktails
Prom sizes
000 to 32
- 000
- 00
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 30
- 32
Sizes run from 000 up through 32 and 32W.
Shoes
Prom and pageant shoes
Jewelry
Jim Ball Designs and The Stefanie Somers Collection
Younger pageant section
Sherri Hill Littles, Rachel Allan Perfect Angels and Ava Presley Littles
Joann's is the Official Wardrobe Sponsor for the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant and its Outstanding Teen and Teen Princess pageants, and it sponsors Miss and Teen USA pageants in Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi. WKMS reported that Miss America 2024 Madison Marsh was outfitted at Joann's and that seven Miss America contestants were dressed there that year.
From Union City to Hickman, and farther out
South Fulton Middle and High School is right in town. Union City High School and Obion County Central High School in Troy sit to the south in Obion County, and Westview High School in Martin is in the same corner of northwest Tennessee. Across the line in Kentucky is Fulton County High School in Hickman.
The Fulton Lions Club noted that customers "fly and drive in for fittings" and then stay in town to eat and shop. Dennis told WKMS she hopes visitors staying at The Meadows Hotel next door will look out over the park, walk to the dress shop and stop for coffee downtown. "It's almost like you're in a Hallmark movie," Dennis said.
Good to know: because of the nature of formal wear, all sales are final.
Prom shopping at Joann's, common questions
Which prom designers does Joann's carry?
Joann's carries Sherri Hill, Jovani, Johnathan Kayne, Rachel Allan, Tarik Ediz, Portia & Scarlett and Aleta, along with prom shoes and jewelry.
What if I wear a plus size?
Plus sizes get their own prom section, with long and short Rachel Allan styles, and sizes run through 32W.
What should I know about returns?
All sales are final. Because of the nature of formal wear, the store takes no returns.