TOWNSEND — With a rise in second-hand shopping, more and more people are choosing to shop out of season instead of brand new, and one Townsend mobile boutique is giving you a chance to reduce waste on your wedding day.
"He came from a catering background," said Stacy Sommer, "I came from a hotel background, and I was a wedding photographer for quite a while."
She and her husband, Eric Sommer, bought the Cook Mansion property across from the Townsend silos eight years ago to use as a wedding venue that includes the historic 1920 chapel and a reception pavilion.
Three years later, they accidentally got into the wedding dress business after partnering with The Emma and Evan Foundation, which transforms donated wedding dresses into NICU graduation and baby burial gowns.
They asked if the Sommers would take over their retail store.
"We take 1,200 dresses with us to every sale," Stacy said. "We figure we sell a little here and a little there. We're at 399 dresses for the year right now, which is more than most bridal shops will sell in years."
The Sommers' business is called Dress Express, a mobile boutique that travels across Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
The couple keeps hundreds if not thousands of dresses out of landfills by purchasing used or antique dresses, taking donations, or offering last season's styles and displays.
Stacy said, "They order dresses in for the season, and once the season is over, they need to get rid of those dresses, and we buy them at a discounted rate. We make sure they're repaired, cleaned, and ready to sell."
Prices range from $50 to $600 – a fraction of retail - saving soon-to-be newlyweds money and reducing waste.
You can learn more about Dress Express and the chapel here.
