Prom season is coming up — a major milestone for high school students that can also come with a major price tag. Some students spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to attend. But in Plano, there’s a place where cost is no object and shopping is stress-free.
A room at St. Andrew Methodist Church is home to the Prom Closet, a pop-up store offering more than 5,000 prom dresses and everything else students need to dress from head to toe — all for free.
For high school student Jiselle Bonilla, the Prom Closet offered relief as the date of her prom crept closer, along with concerns about how she’d pay for her dress.
“Last year I bought my own dress. I was working, but this year I really don’t have a job, so I was, like, kinda worried about it. I didn’t really know what I was gonna do, and prom is only about a month away,” Bonilla said.
Prom Closet’s Rayshell McGraw said the goal is to make prom accessible to any student who wants to attend.
“It makes it achievable for anyone to be able to go to prom,” McGraw said. “To have them try on a dress and feel like a princess, it fills me with joy.”
Bonilla said finding the right dress brought confidence and a sense of excitement for the night ahead.
“I feel like it makes me feel confident. It hugs all the right places. I’m like, I could see myself walking out in prom with this dress on,” Bonilla said.
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Jiselle Bonilla.
The Prom Closet is open to girls anywhere. Organizers said about 1,400 girls are expected to shop at the store over the next week and a half, adding this stop to their own prom story.
Bonilla said prom is more than just a dance. For her, it’s also about time with friends and marking a transition into adulthood.
“It’s kinda like the last time I’m gonna be with my friends and get to celebrate this moment, and I’m like, ‘Oh. It kinda brings me a little teary-eyed,” Bonilla said.
She said the experience also left her with a message she hopes to carry forward.
“I know there’s people out there trying to help, and you know it makes me want to do that same thing,” Bonilla said.
Prom closet runs through March 7. If you’d like to volunteer as a personal shopper, or if you know a student who wants to sign up to shop, click here.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.