Mike Wolanin | The Republic Susan Crussel holds a red dress at Gold Nugget in Hope, Ind., Monday, May 1, 2023.
When it comes to finding the right dress for prom, and have a budget in mind, a Bartholomew County pawn shop might be the answer.
Hope’s The Gold Nugget, 344 Jackson St., has been selling formal gowns on consignment for 35 years. A number of gowns and semi-formals line the walls just north of the firearms display.
“It is very unusual, isn’t it?” proprietor Jackie Robb Tallent said regarding the close proximity of prom dresses to the guns and knives.
It was nine years after Gold Nugget founder, the late Bill Robb (1931-2014) closed his Chicago-area gun store in 1979 and moved his family to Hope that his daughter, Jackie, suggested that she, as well as her friends and three sisters, be allowed to sell their prom gowns on consignment.
“I didn’t have to try very hard to sell him on the idea,” Tallent recalls. “Dad thought the prom dresses brought great energy into the store and attracted people that would probably never come in here.”
Whoever owns the gown gets to decide the price, Tallent said. If it sells, the owner gets 60% of the money, while the Gold Nugget receives 40%, she said.
“Of course, we want to guide the seller to set a price that will move the dress,” Tallent said. “But it’s taking something that may have worn once or twice and turning it around to let someone else enjoy it.”
One personal benefit mentioned by Bill Robb before his death was that the glamour of the dresses encouraged his daughters to come in and spend time with him while he was working.
The gowns were so well received when the Gold Nugget began offering them in 1988 that a decision was made to start selling both new and used gowns the next year, she said. Today, about 80% of the gowns sold at the shop on the northeast side of the Hope Town Square are new, while 20% are sold on consignment, Tallent said.
With more than 500 dresses sold last year, the proprietor expressed optimism that the Gold Nugget will sell even more this year. The pawn shop also has a small selection of gowns that could be used for weddings.
Coming in Monday for a fitting of her formal gown, Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School eighth grader Ruby McKinney is preparing to compete in the Bartholomew County 4-H Princess Pageant. The event for 4-H members 12 to 15 years old will be held in early June.
“I kind of came in here and knew what I wanted,” Ruby said. “I’m in here almost every day, so I get a sneak peak of the new dresses that come in.”
While Ruby had already selected her gown, she did try on another just to see how it would look on her.
“I think the gown gives you self-confidence,” Ruby said. “It also makes you feel pretty.”
Formal dresses or semi-formal wear are sold year-round for occasions that include winter formals, sweetheart dances, adult proms, fraternity formals, military balls and pageants including the one Ruby is entering.
When Bill Robb talked about great energy coming into the store, he was mostly referring to young people like Ruby, as well as older teens heading to their prom. In addition, Robb also realized the dresses are a great calling card for selling other items, his daughter said.
Men who go to the Gold Nugget to buy something for themselves often see a prom dress they believe would look great on a female family member scheduled to attend a formal occasion, Tallent said.
“A lot of dads, uncles and grandpas will ask the girl to get into the car and say ‘Come with me. I want you to check out something’,” Tallent said. “The girls are kind of skeptical, like ‘where are you taking me?’ But then, they come in and find the perfect gown.”
After finding the gown, young ladies are often drawn to a sizable display of jewelry that they can buy to accessorize their dresses. Many say they had no idea the shop had such a large selection of elegant jewelry, Tallent said.
But the reciprocity goes both ways. Young ladies who come in the shop with female friends will frequently go home and tell the guys in her family about what she saw that might appeal to them, Tallent said.
After the BCSC Prom concludes this weekend, prom season will essentially be over in Bartholomew County. But Tallent still has some advice for young ladies worth considering.
Those inclined to put the prom dress in the closet and forget it should consider that fashions change with the speed of lightning.
“That’s why we recommend to those planning to sell their dresses to not put it off a year or two,” Tallent said.
If you want a large selection to choose from, keep in mind that some young ladies are out looking for the right gown on their Christmas vacation, she said.
Following the same principle as a number of winter wedding shows, the Gold Nugget held its 14th annual Prom Palooza prom dress shopping party on Jan. 28th.
“That’s when I have the biggest selection,” Tallent said.
