New Quinceanera dress shop opens in Statesboro

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A new dress boutique in Statesboro that specializes in Quinceanera dresses is now in business.

If you don’t know what a Quinceanera is, it is a celebration widely celebrated in Latin American culture for a girl’s 15th birthday.

It is a milestone that signifies a girl’s transition from childhood to womanhood. When it comes to preparing for the big day, finding the perfect dress is key.

Our Michaela Romero shows us why the owner of a prom dress shop felt like there was a need to provide more options after an experience she had with a customer.

Maria Proctor, the owner of a local prom dress store and now a Quinceanera dress shop, says she started noticing the need to provide Quinceanera dresses back in 2017 when she was helping a mother and daughter agree on a dress.

“I met Cynthia 5 years ago she came into the shop because she was looking for a dress for a Quinceanera. At that time Cynthia and her mom were like any 14-year-old, they were at odds with each other, Cythnia wanted one thing and her mom wanted something different.”

“I politely asked her what’s a Quinceanera dress, and she told me what it was, and I said okay we are gonna find your dress.”

Proctor says she never would have thought that interaction would lead to something bigger.

“A lot of the young ladies at that particular time I was the only one that was selling Quinceanera dresses, and I really didn’t have a big inventory of anything. So, there were a lot of families going to Atlanta, to find a dress or Jacksonville and some of them even went as far as Texas or California to find their dress.”

And that’s when she started providing more Quinceanera dress options at her first dress shop on Main Street.

“I noticed that the Quinceanera dresses required a little bit more space, so we had one wall that we dedicated just for Quinceanera dresses, and we noticed more and more the girls were coming in to try on dresses and they were coming in at the time that prom was going on.”

But she quickly realized she needed more space and help.

“We were looking at other locations, and we were able to get this location that I one block down from our sister store for the Quinceanera dresses.”

And now her dream is a reality at her new boutique called “The Quince of your dreams” she says they have something for everyone looking to celebrate that milestone birthday.

They have a variety of different dresses to choose from for any occasion. Like this one that lights up.

” We carry several different designers. We know that families have different budgets. So we try to carry some of the more moderate priced ones and those may range a thousand dollars and then we have some of the elaborate ones that can cost as much as 3000 dollars. So when a family comes in we try to find out what their budget to know which way to guide them.”

But Proctor says she couldn’t have done it without the help of her former customer and now co-owner Cynthia.

“Sometimes when the families come in they are looking for Cythnia, not me. So you know just having the comfort of working with her and learning so much from her. As far as like what takes place even before they make it to the Quinceanera. There is just so much that I’ve learned you know from partnering with her.”

She says while her and Cynthia are trying to give their customers the best experience it has been an experience of a lifetime for them as well.

“It’s made me feel really good that I have learned a whole new culture from the food, all the ceremonies that take place. it’s been a really good experience for me.”

She says it’s definitely a full-circle moment all thanks to one interaction.