GOULDSBORO, Pa. — It's a common question for customers at Salon Joy near Gouldsboro when they see hundreds of dresses fill the front of the store.
"They're like, 'Are you opening a boutique?' And I say, 'No, we're just doing our fourth annual prom dress drive!" They're like, 'Oh, another event!'"
Salon owner Nichole Londo organizes community events almost as often as she cuts hair – for Christmas, Easter, back to school, you name it.
A few years ago, she decided to give back in another way by collecting new and gently used prom attire to help high schoolers have the prom night of their dreams without the price tag of their parents' nightmares.
"Every day, we have more and more dresses coming in – shoes, tuxedos, suits, ties," Londo said.
For the first drive in 2019, she collected about 80 donated dresses. This year, there are more than 250 and counting.
"I think because it's such an easy way to give back. You can literally just go in your closet. You can talk to your friends about it, and before you know it, you have four or five dresses you can easily donate."
Londo has watched parents cry tears of joy on the day of the dress giveaway. She's heard one girl say if it weren't for the free dress, she'd have to skip the prom so she could make her tuition deposit.
"It makes it all worth it. A lot of times, it gets a little overwhelming, and having to rearrange the salon. But thinking of that kind of outcome, it just warms your heart, and you just want to plan for next year."
Salon Joy is taking donations until Friday.
Students can go shopping on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gouldsboro Train Station.
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