A Riverview woman who provides prom dresses to those in need is looking for a new space.

Lara Lavoie created Prom Pretty in 2018.

“We give gently used or new prom dresses to graduating students in financial need and we give them away for free. I just started doing it out of my basement and then it just grew from there,” says Lavoie.

She was previously operating out of a donated location in Riverview, but the building was sold and she had to move. So she is currently storing all of the donated dresses at Riverview High School, but she isn’t able to take appointments with students there.

She is hoping someone might have a large space where she can store the prom dresses, but also be a place where she can meet with those students who need a dress.

“It can’t be a shared space because of privacy and the students need to be comfortable,” Lavoie adds.

Lavoie is a stay-at-home mom and operates Prom Pretty out of the goodness of her heart. It’s not a business and there is no cost for the dresses.

Lara Lavoie, Prom Pretty. Image: Submitted

Lavoie has received donations of dresses from the public, and from local businesses as well. Currently, she has a stock of between 500 and 800 dresses. She has stopped donations for now because she has limited space at the high school.

Currently, Lavoie plans to continue bringing the dresses to schools that reach out to her, but she would like to have her own space again for the next school year.

Since the inception of Prom Pretty, Lavoie has helped around 100 students each year, except during COVID, when there were no prom celebrations. Students in financial need have come from across the Maritimes to meet with Lavoie and pick the perfect dress.

Lavoie can be contacted through Prom Pretty on Facebook.