Five hundred prom dresses in a year is a lot for one Vermont store. That is the figure Mark Needleman gave Seven Days in a February 2024 profile of the family business, and it explains why prom has a permanent place on the floor at the South Burlington shop on Dorset Street. The same article described the system that keeps those sales from colliding: the store records which dress was bought for which prom, so it does not sell a duplicate into the same dance.
Needleman's has been a family business since 1925, and the website still leads with that year. Seven Days traced the start to Newport, where Louis Needleman bought a department store and his brothers soon joined him. Mark and Heather Needleman own it now and both work at the South Burlington store. "There's an owner here all the time," Mark told the paper. WCAX marked the company's centennial in October 2025 with a celebration at the Dorset Street location, describing it as possibly one of the only shops of its kind in the nation run continuously by the same family.
When the prom gowns arrive, and whose labels they are
The first prom shipment lands in January, according to the Seven Days piece, and early shoppers get the widest choice before the school-by-school record starts closing off styles for a given dance. The website's prom page lists Faviana, Clarisse and Dave & Johnny, and adds that these are a small selection of the designers carried, with specific styles subject to change.
The prom page also makes the case for shopping as a couple, in the store's own phrasing.
We stock a huge selection of gowns from popular designers in many different styles, colors, and sizes and since we do tuxedo rentals right in store, you can be sure that your dates suit or tux will match you perfectly.
Tuxedo and suit rentals come with a school-event incentive.
Rentals in store
Tuxedos and suits for school events
School promotion
$50 off any rental suit or tuxedo for prom, winter formals and other school events; mention it in store
Shoes
Included with every rental
Menswear labels
Jim's Formalwear, Rondinelli and Sarno and Sons
House rules for prom season
Prom does not require an appointment. The FAQ recommends appointments only for wedding gown shopping and says none are required for prom, bridesmaids or tux rentals, with a caveat about weekends. A few other policies, some from the website and some reported by Seven Days, shape a prom visit.
Saturdays
The busiest day, per the FAQ, with a wait for dressing rooms in prom season.
Shoes off
A no-shoes policy keeps the formalwear clean, Seven Days reported.
Bring an adult
Students shopping for prom are asked to come with one.
Final sale
All sales are final, and the store does not do alterations.
Seamstresses
The FAQ keeps a list of local ones, many of whom see its gowns often.
One pleasant surprise for out-of-state relatives footing the bill: Vermont does not charge sales tax on clothing, and the FAQ points out that this includes gowns.
The Traveling Tuxedo Team and the schools it serves
Mark Needleman started the Traveling Tuxedo Team after graduating from Saint Michael's College in 1993, according to Seven Days, delivering tuxedos from the Newport store to homes and hotels in Chittenden County with a seamstress along for on-the-spot alterations. The service still runs under that name. Fitters come to you, take measurements, deliver the suits before the event and pick them up afterward.
Dorset Street is the spine of South Burlington's shopping district, with University Mall farther down the same road and South Burlington High School on it as well. Burlington High School, Champlain Valley Union, Essex High School and Colchester High School are the other large Chittenden County schools nearby, and the Seven Days profile describes students driving two hours from Newport for the bigger South Burlington selection. For families anywhere in northwest Vermont, a January visit gives the best pick.
Needleman's prom questions, answered for Chittenden County
Does Needleman's keep track of prom dresses by school?
Yes. Seven Days reported that the store records which dress was bought for which prom so it does not sell the same gown twice into one dance. Tell the staff your school and prom date at checkout.
Can the date's tux be matched to the gown on the spot?
Yes. Tux and suit rentals happen in the same store as the gowns, and the school promotion takes $50 off a rental.
When is the best time to shop prom on Dorset Street?
Soon after the first shipment arrives in January, and on a weekday if possible. Saturdays are the busiest day, and dressing rooms can have a wait at the height of prom season.