Prom dress shopping in the Tri-Cities often starts at the mall, and in Colonial Heights that means Shingar, a women's formalwear store inside Southpark Mall. Its website sums up the range in one line: homecoming, prom, wedding, bridesmaids, flower girl, mother of the bride "and much more." Prom gets the top billing in the site's own title, and most of the designer menu leans that way too.
The shop's contact page describes it as an exclusive dress store for women offering a wide variety of styles and colors, with staff who can arrange colors and sizes for a group and work out discounts on group orders. It also mentions a convenient layaway plan, which lets a family spread out the cost of a gown in the months before prom.
Designers and departments
The designer menu on the website is long for a mall store. These are the prom labels it names, grouped the way the store sells them.
Prom headliners
More prom lines
- Faviana
- Jasz Couture
- Primavera Couture
- Rachel Allan
- Tiffany Designs
- Tiffany Prom
- Abby Paris
- Allie Blu
- Ella Belle
- Lara Designs
- Lucci Lu
- Shail K
- Stella Couture
- Terramina
Sydney's Closet, a line built around plus sizes, sits on the same menu, along with a large collection of church suits and dresses, with special pricing on usher and choir group orders.
Homecoming and short dresses have their own section, and the site also lists quinceañera and party dresses. Tuxedo rental is available, so a date can be fitted without leaving the mall.
A store that serves schools and a military post
Southpark Mall sits off Interstate 95 in Colonial Heights, which makes the store easy to reach from Petersburg, Hopewell and the Chesterfield and Prince George suburbs of central Virginia. Prom shoppers come in from Colonial Heights High School, Thomas Dale in Chester, Matoaca, Prince George High, Petersburg High and Hopewell High.
The calendar here does not end with prom. Fort Gregg-Adams, the Army post in neighboring Prince George County, is part of the community, and Shingar names military balls on its website alongside prom, homecoming and pageants. A spring prom gown and a ball gown later in the year can come from the same racks.
The register is what ties those events together. When a customer buys a dress for a dance or a ball, the shop records it so it does not sell the same gown into the same event. With this many schools drawing on one mall, that record carries real weight. Shingar puts the promise this way on its contact page.
We also register dresses for special occasions like prom, homecoming, Military balls, and pageants so that you don't have to worry about wearing the same dress as someone else to your event.
Shingar shoppers want to know
Does Shingar have a layaway plan for prom dresses?
Yes. The store's contact page invites shoppers to stop by and ask about its layaway plan, which can help spread out the cost of a gown before the dance.
Does Shingar discount group orders?
Yes. The contact page says the staff can arrange colors and sizes for groups shopping quinceañera, bridesmaid or party dresses, and offers special discounts on group orders.