A swap meet for gowns

Everyone wants to wear a new gown to the charity ball, Christmas party, winter cruise or spring prom.

Now's the chance to purchase a gown for a fraction of the cost through the second annual swap meet sponsored by the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center.

"We have over 100 dresses. We have dresses from size 2 to 2X. We have a lot of variety in our sizes this year," said center volunteer Rhonda Dukart.

Anyone with dresses to donate may drop them off at Consolidated, Hair Ovations (across from Furniture City) and American Bank Center-downtown.

The swap meet is from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Dickinson's Days Inn-Grand Dakota Lodge.

Dukart said the dresses are suitable for any holiday party or a high school prom. There's even eight wedding dresses which someone may wish to purchase for the fabric.

"We had people going on winter cruises who bought their dresses for $20 or $30. We have really nice dresses. This is not garage-sale dresses. People who donated them simply are not going to wear them again," she said.

Dressing rooms are available during the swap meet and volunteers will help with the sales.

Dukart came up with the idea last year after realizing her girls had left 20 dresses hanging in their closets after attending dances and sorority events. It was an opportunity to clean out the closets.

Dukart said the swap meet patrons are so appreciative of the opportunity to purchase low-cost gowns. She spoke to one mother with two teenage daughters who bought their prom dresses at last year's swap meet.

The mother told Dukart her girls now have beautiful dresses that she could not have afforded otherwise.

"It's such a win-win situation. We're raising money for such a worthy cause and at the same time, we are helping those who don't want to spend the money on dresses they wear for such a short time," said Dukart.

The committee has invited students from surrounding schools to attend the event. It continues to look for dresses so there is a good variety in all of the sizes.

When the event was over last year, the good-quality gowns were saved for this year.

"Most of the dresses are priced from $20 to $40. If a dress needs to be cleaned, we're giving a $10 discount which allows them to cover the cost of cleaning. Hopefully, this will help us sell more dresses," she said.

Committee member Gina Dvorak and her daughter, Shaunda will be on hand to help with fittings.

"You always need assistance getting into a dress," said Gina Dvorak.

"I'm looking forward to helping," added Shaunda.

Dukart said the swamp meet is expanding to include vendors who sell jewelry. Patty Wolff and Judy Steinberg from Hair Ovations also will be available to help with hairstyle ideas.

"This is a fundraiser for Domestic Violence. Every penny goes to the shelter. We have no expenses for the project because everyone on the committee is a volunteer," said Dukart.

Funds from the sale help cover the essentials at the shelter.

"Grants are drying up. United Way is a huge help, but the federal and state monies continue to decrease. We hope the fundraiser helps," she said.

The public also may support the shelter by donating diapers, laundry detergent, health care products like shampoo and dry products.