It started with a need for pageant dresses for my daughters. I don't know if you've ever purchased a formal, but it is NOT cheap! Multiply that times my five children that need sports and other equipment and clothes and it adds up quickly. My husband put me on a strict pageant budget. He said if I could prove that I could spend no more than $100 per daughter then they could participate without him grumbling. So I turned to Facebook. I found several gowns on to fit my junior in high school but nothing glamorous for the stage. I couldn't find anything for my fifth grader. I searched various mom sale/garage sale/neighborhood sale pages.
One day a gracious heavenly dress angel dropped a size six, hot pink, sequin-covered formal gown only twelve miles away and for $10! I spent $5 on heels (from Hill Country Thrift Store in Boerne) and purchased some thread and a hot glue gun from Walmart for $8. That left me with $77 for jewelry, lashes, makeup and a hair piece. I spent every dime of that $100 limit, but THE DRESS was fabulous. Gentry felt like a princess on that day and it was worth every bit of the burnt fingers and hours spent on my hands and knees removing the lace under the dress to add to the top and the reattachment of miscellaneous beads. The dress was eight years old and out of style for a high school student, but perfect for my fifth grader.
Daughter Shaelee was not willing to wear a "Facebook" dress and wasn't willing to spend under $350, way over my budget. I looked for deals in department stores but was met with disappointment. Finally my sister offered me a gorgeous black gown with one beaded side. Success!
After that experience I decided that it was ridiculous for girls in our community to spend outrageous amounts for formal occasions. I wanted to do whatever was in my power to make sure that ANY teen who needs formal wear, male or female, would have access to do so. A HUGE outpouring of people responded to my requests for formal wear. My closet beneath the stairs had tulle, satin and lace popping out. A kind woman part of a non-profit in Boerne funded me $200 and I was able to buy the racks. God was in this from the beginning and there has never been a doubt in my mind this venture could work.
Forming a non-profit wasn't an easy task but I had supportive friends, mostly my peers at Peterson Regional Medical Center and several neighbors form a board of directors. Many thanks to Morgan King, President; Jessica Henry, Treasurer; and member Erin Billinglsey. Mary Pat at the Flower Shop lent us her huge space to let girls try on dresses. The owner of Boerne RV Boats and Storage donated a storage unit. We collaborated with the school nurse at BHS collects formal wear for the BHS kids.
With a grant received from the Hal Peterson Foundation we will purchase an enclosed trailer to take Pretty Posh Boutique mobile to the schools in the area. The kindness of the community is the reason we are able to serve the teens in the Hill Country.