The ninth edition of an annual charity event that benefits a local charity as well as the pocketbooks of a number of teenage girls proved to be as popular as ever.
For the opportunity to be one of the first to enter Gown Town, an event that sells donated gowns for $10 each, a crowd gathered outside of the Marlborough Mall entrance on Sunday morning more than an hour before the temporary store opened.
The Gown Town pop-up shop was only open for a two hour window resulting in a shopping frenzy.
Alexis Hallman, who is in the ninth grade, brought her father Richard along as she searched for the perfect prom dress.
“Classy but not too classy,” said Alexis of her search for the elusive gown. “It’s Grade 9 so I don’t want to be super-poof dress but something that will look good on stage.”
Alexis said her father played an important role during her shopping.
“He’s carrying dresses,” laughed Alexis. “He doesn’t exactly know dresses so he’s just there for moral support.”
Richard Hallman had high praise for Sunday's event.
“This has got to be the greatest thing ever,” said Richard. “I mean 10 bucks for a dress and it goes to charity? It’s wonderful!”
Kim Wiltse of Marlbrough Mall says some of the donated retro dresses proved to be the most popular.
“80s ones tend to go fast, oddly enough,” said Wiltse of the ’bigger’ and ‘puffier’ attire.
Wiltse says Gown Town benefits from people cleaning out there closets in the weeks leading up to the event. “There’s people that will come in and they’ll have three or four dresses and they said ‘I don’t know why I’m holding on to these, it’s time to part ways’.”
“They love that someone else can love it as much as they love those dresses.”
All of the proceeds from the event assist Aspen Family Services, a charity that aims to help end the cycle of poverty.
