Story and photos by William Smith
Community Editor
At its worst, buying a dress is nothing more than an impersonal transaction. No customization or fitting is required.
Laura Royer, who opened up the Mae’s Formals dress and formal wear store on Division Street, treats the transaction more like a journey. Finding a dress that fits the body isn’t enough. Instead, Royer wants her customers to discover a dress that fits snugly around their personality.
Finding that dress isn’t always easy.
“There are girls who have been looking for months to get their hands on a dress,” Royer said.
That’s where the customer service end of Royer’s new business kicks in. When customers come into her shop, many know what they want. Others don’t.
“A lot of girls think they want something until they try it,” Royer said.
It’s Royer’s job to guide them through the decision, utilizing a critical eye and a wide breadth of product. Her store doesn’t have a time limit on how long a customer can try on dresses. There’s no limit on the number of dresses they can try, either. Instead, Royer spends much of her time adjusting the dresses.
“If you see a gown you want in a store and we don’t have it, we can order it in your size and color,” Royer said.
Royer even utilizes a program that ensures no two girls will show up at prom or formal dance in the same dress.
“It’s prime shopping time right now,” Royer explained.
Located inside the former Allstate building at 3204 Division St., Suite A, Royer founded Mae’s Formals because she felt a dress gap existed in the Burlington area.
“To find a prom gown or wedding gown, you really had to travel outside of Burlington,” Royer said. “People don’t want to travel an hour and 15
minutes to get a dress.”
Royer recently helped her 16-year-old daughter find a dress and fell in love with the process.
Although the store is technically open already, the grand opening is Saturday, Jan. 29. By then, Royer should have new signage.
As with everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed dress shipments to a crawl. A lot of girls are shopping for their prom dresses now, and wedding dresses are a year out or more. But those are just the two most prominent kinds of dresses for sale at Mae’s Formals.
Winter formal gowns, mother-of-the-bride gowns, tuxedos, flower girl dresses— the shop has a bit of everything.
And it all leads to that one magical moment, that moment when the girl looks in the mirror, looks at Laura and says, “I feel pretty.”
“You dream of that gown, and then you find the perfect one,” Royer said. “I love seeing the girls' excitement.”
Mae's Formals is located at 3204 Division St., Ste. A. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.