A prom rack that rents
Renting a prom dress is the option that sets Dinah's Boutique apart, and the shop treats it as a normal way to dress for a dance rather than a fallback. A gown can be rented or bought, and even a style the boutique special-orders for you can still be rented once it arrives. Put a deposit down after you are sized, and that deposit goes toward whichever you choose. Most orders come in within about a week, and the store notes that a dress does not have to be purchased just because it was ordered.
The shop sits in French Creek, a small Upshur County community south of Buckhannon in north-central West Virginia, and it claims one of the largest stocks of pageant, formal, wedding and prom dresses in the entire state. Customers, by the store's count, come from about 20 counties to rent and buy formal wear for proms, homecomings, pageants, weddings and other occasions. Prom gowns run up to size 34, and most styles not on the rack can be special-ordered.
The prom copy on the store's About page is upbeat about all of it, promising a captivating array of styles, lengths, colors and fabrics, from simple to boldly embellished. The same page states the shop's mission in one line.
Our goal is to put the "fun" in functions.
That line sits beside a promise that finding a prom dress does not have to be a daunting task, and the price structure backs it up. The main options, as the store lays them out:
- Closeout prom gowns
- Over 100 on sale for $50 each, to buy outright
- In-store styles
- Rent or buy from the stock on the floor
- Special orders
- Sized first, deposit down, then rent or buy when the gown arrives
- Returns
- Store credit with no time limit, usable on purchases or rentals
The $50 closeout rack is the budget end of the store, priced for families stretching every dollar of prom season. The store pitches it as a way to get a current-looking gown without going into debt for one night.
Getting out to French Creek
Finding the place is part of the experience. The store notes that most people who know about it are local residents or heard about it from friends, and its fliers carry a map and several lines of directions on the back for first-timers. French Creek takes its name from the stream that feeds the Buckhannon River, and the boutique is on a country road rather than a retail strip, which suits a shop that runs on word of mouth.
Group visits need a booking. The site states that all bridal and prom parties must be by appointment, and sizing appointments go through Melissa, who handles the scheduling. Reach out before you load up a car of friends.
Shoppers from Dinah's 20 counties
Buckhannon-Upshur High School is the closest large school, and Lewis County High School in Weston, Philip Barbour High School in Philippi and Elkins High School in Randolph County all sit within a reasonable drive. For families in those towns, a rental gown or a $50 closeout can make prom affordable in a way a full-price purchase sometimes does not. Bridal, bridesmaid rentals and flower girl dresses take up the other racks, but prom season is what fills the calendar each spring.
Dinah's Boutique in French Creek, answered
Can I rent a prom dress that the store orders for me?
Yes. Once you are sized and a deposit is placed, a special-ordered dress can be rented or bought, and the deposit counts toward either.
How big do the prom sizes go?
Prom gowns are carried up to size 34, and bridal goes up to 42.