After difficult years due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, the shops specializing in prom dresses can finally breathe while their business is inflated by a beautiful craze.
“It does us a lot of good, says the owner of Say yes to the dress, Fanny Labbé. The last three years have been very complicated in our environment. I even asked myself the question of whether I was going to have to put the key under the door.
In the field for 16 years, she says that traffic has been “very strong since January” in her Charlesbourg boutique for the balls of the 2023 cohort.
Same story at Rima Design, in Val-Bélair.
“We had more last-minute sales during the pandemic, because there was always a concern that the prom would be canceled, so it shopped less. This year, customers are smiling once more. I’m just happy to see that the girls are having fun choosing their dress once more,” says co-owner Tina El Khoury.
Early season
Owners of second-hand dress shops say graduates started shopping for prom attire and accessories much earlier in the school year than their predecessors.
“Our big period is pretty much over, explains Mme El Khoury, but it was madness. I think the young girls were so excited to be sure they would have a prom that they decided to sort this out early.”
Last chance
For her part, the co-owner of Mirage – Beauty and Prom Dresses in Lévis, Geneviève Comtois-Pagé, maintains that the big period continues during the long Easter holiday. His clientele of the last days has come from afar to choose his evening dress.
“The Easter weekend is kind of the last big occasion for families from outside to come for a walk. My appointment calendar was full today, but I didn’t have anyone from Quebec or Lévis. I had graduates from Sept-Îles, Gatineau, Saguenay, even Blanc-Sablon!”
A little more on the outskirts, at the Lyna boutique in Beauceville, the clientele “boom” occurred during the fall.
“It started very strong at the start of the school year and then we still had a lot of requests until following spring break. For the past few weeks, things have been quieter and we mainly do repairs. I think it really varies by location. In Quebec and Montreal, the big season comes a little later,” notes the owner, Marie-Josée Giguère.
One thing is certain, the “return to normal” observed by all the shops with which The newspaper was able to talk puts a balm on the difficult years lived due to the COVID-19.
