Twenty-five thousand square feet is the number The Fashion Gallery puts at the top of its homepage, along with the claim that it is Virginia's largest award-winning boutique. That size is the reason prom works differently here. The homecoming and prom section sits in the same building as cocktail and black-tie wear, shoes, jewelry, handbags, home decor and a consignment shop, so a dress, the shoes and the earrings can all come off one sales floor in Augusta County.
The store dates to 1981. Virginia Living, in a 2022 feature, credited Linda Holden's family with opening it that year and described the merchandise as upscale fashion with a Southern twist. The homepage adds that customers come from hours away, and it calls the shop the Valley's choice destination store.
The prom and homecoming side
Prom is not hidden in a corner of the store's pitch. Its own homepage gives homecoming and prom a section of their own, written in the same all-capital style the site uses throughout.
WE'RE ALWAYS IN STYLE FOR HOCO AND PROM! SHOP THE SEASON'S HOTTEST STYLES AND MAKE YOUR NIGHT UNFORGETTABLE.
That section goes on to promise plus sizes and the same shoes, jewelry and alterations the store offers on its other formal departments. The special-occasion floor runs from cocktail dresses to black tie in petite through plus sizes, with pant suits and separates for anyone who would rather not wear a gown, a useful option for a date or a chaperone.
The store does not publish a list of prom labels, so the best way to see the season's stock is to visit or to watch its Facebook and Instagram pages, both linked from the site.
Shoes and accessories
Formal shoes, handbags and statement jewelry, with Susan Shaw and Julie Voss among the popular jewelry names
Alterations
Listed as a service alongside the formal departments
Gifts
Free gift wrapping on anything from the gift section
Where the shoppers come from
Augusta County's public high schools surround Verona: Fort Defiance High a few miles up Route 11, Wilson Memorial in Fishersville, Buffalo Gap in Swoope, Riverheads south of Staunton and Stuarts Draft to the southeast. Staunton High and Waynesboro High, the two city schools, are close by as well, and families from Rockingham County come down the interstate from the Harrisonburg side.
Exit 227I-81
Just north of Staunton, on Lee Highway, which is old U.S. 11 through the middle of the county.
Exit 227 is a natural meeting point for this stretch of the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
The rest of the building is part of the appeal on a long shopping day. The consignment shop, described on the site as the store's newest venture, carries antique furniture and fine china, and the home decor floor stocks names like Beatriz Ball and Arthur Court. A parent who came along for the prom dress has a whole home floor to browse while the fitting room is busy.
The Fashion Gallery in Verona, prom questions
Can I get a prom dress hemmed at The Fashion Gallery?
Yes. The homepage lists alterations with both its homecoming and prom section and its special-occasion department.
Are plus sizes part of the prom selection?
Yes. The prom and homecoming section says the styles are also available in plus sizes, and the special-occasion floor runs from petites through plus.