Courtesy Photo Valerie Fry, left, and her daughter Savannah Sauve look through dresses while shopping at the The Hollyhock Emporium in Harrisville on Thursday. The store is selling lightly used dresses for homecoming, prom, and other special occasions for only $20 each and have almost two hundred to choose from.

HARRISVILLE — Buying a dress for homecoming, prom, or other special occasions often requires Northeast Michigan residents to drive hundreds of miles outside the area to spend lots of money on what they need.

The Hollyhock Emporium in Harrisville is offering its services to help people avoid that by offering nearly 200 dresses for only $20 each.

Customers can also trade in a lightly used dress and pay only $10 for another of their choice.

Owner Monica Spears said the store has dresses of every color, design, fabric, and size, and wants to help people who want a dress get one at an affordable price.

She said it is a good way for people to get a high-quality dress, without having to travel far, or overspend.

“A lot of people have to drive to Saginaw, just to pay $300 to $800 for a dress they are going to wear once at a dance,” she said. “We have nowhere for a young lady, or any students who wants to wear a dress to homecoming, to shop and find a dress like these nearby. Most of the time you have to drive three hours or more.”

Spears said there are probably a lot of people who still have dresses stashed in their closets and haven’t worn them more than once or twice. She encouraged them to bring them to the store to swap them out for ones they can use now or for future occasions.

Spears and her staff have gone through and displayed the dresses and weeded out ones that had stains, blemishes, or are out of fashion.

“These are classic elegant dresses that are in style, which is important to the students who want a dress,” Spears said. “We pulled all of the damaged or dated ones and all of the ones we have are in good shape and ready to go.”

Homecoming season in the area is just beginning, so Spears expects the inventory she has will begin to dwindle in the coming days and weeks.

She encourages people not to wait until the last minute, so they have more choices when they stop by the store. The Hollyhock Emporium is open Monday-Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

She added purchasing and reusing a previously used dress is also environmentally friendly.

“They are normally worn once, then hang in the closet for years, and then often end up in a landfill,” she said. “It just makes more sense to let someone else use and enjoy them.”

The Hollyhock Emporium is open Monday-Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.