RSG stands for Ready Set Grow, a name left over from the store's first life. Susan Chaffin founded Ready Set Grow as a children's boutique, and it has been part of Cookeville since 1999. Today she runs it with her daughter, Morgan Johnson, and the two have turned it into RSG Formals, a specialty dress store built around prom, pageant and special-occasion gowns. The About page sums it up as "Two Generations. One Shared Vision."
The children's roots have not gone anywhere. The shop still keeps a full children's section with pageant dresses, cupcake dresses, flower girl and communion dresses, and kids' capes and overskirts. But the main floor now belongs to prom and pageant shoppers, and the store is not shy about what that looks like.
Thirteen dressing rooms on South Jefferson
We're not a warehouse or a website. We're a boutique with 13 dressing rooms, a full accessories wall, and a team that hand-selects every style at buying markets.
The pitch sits on the RSG homepage. Still, the website does matter here, and in a way that is useful for prom shoppers. RSG only lists dresses online that are physically in its store on South Jefferson Avenue. If you see a gown on the site in your size and color, it is on a hanger in Cookeville and can ship the same day. A senior at Cookeville High can check what is in before she ever gets in the car, and a family in Crossville or Sparta can decide whether to make the drive.
The prom and pageant section is organized by silhouette (A-line and ballgown, fitted, mermaid), plus short cocktail dresses, adult interview outfits, fun fashion rompers and jumpsuits, and capes, floats and overskirts for the stage. The designer menu splits into women's and girls' lists with a good deal of overlap, and the homepage adds its own short list.
- On both the women's and girls' lists: Sherri Hill, Ashley Lauren, Ava Presley, Rachel Allan and Jovani.
- Women's only: Johnathan Kayne, Portia & Scarlett, Amarra and Alyce Paris.
- Girls only: Ritzee, Sugar Kayne by Johnathan Kayne and Samantha Blake.
- Labeled "exclusively carried in-store" on the homepage: Sherri Hill, Ashley Lauren, Johnathan Kayne, Ava Presley and Portia & Scarlett.
Shoes come from DeBlossom, Marc Defang and Chinese Laundry, with a children's shoe section for the little ones. Earrings and necklaces sit on the accessories wall, so the finishing pieces can be matched to the gown on the spot.
Planning a visit
Shopping runs on regular store hours, and the store also books appointments within those hours. For families who cannot make the normal schedule, there is a private option: a 90-minute appointment outside regular hours, booked with 48 hours' notice and a nonrefundable $25 fee that goes directly to the staff member who meets you. The store notes that its hours can shift during prom season, so check the current hours by phone in the spring.
Know the policy before you buy online. The store does not issue refunds. For dresses shipped outside a four-hour radius of the store, it offers a 48-hour exchange window for another size or style, and clearance dresses are final sale. The store asks online shoppers to call for sizing help before ordering, and its contact page offers to send pictures or FaceTime.
The draw reaches well past Putnam County. Cookeville High and Monterey High are the hometown proms, and families come in from Jackson County High in Gainesboro and DeKalb County High in Smithville too. For the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee, RSG is a place where a mom shopping a little sister's pageant dress and a senior shopping for prom can end up in neighboring dressing rooms.
RSG specifics for prom families
Is everything on the RSG website actually in the store?
Yes. The store lists online only the dresses in stock at its Cookeville location, and in-stock items ship within 24 hours.
Can I book a private prom appointment after hours?
Yes. Give the store 48 hours' notice for a 90-minute private appointment outside regular hours. A nonrefundable $25 fee is due at booking.