By Kim Hilsenbeck

Getting gussied up for prom is a time-honored tradition in the United States. Girls wear fancy dresses, guys wear a suit or tux. They dance the night away and keep the memories forever.

But bearing the cost of those gussied up outfits can be a burden for some students. Dresses can easily cost anywhere from $150 or $200 to several hundred dollars. And most girls wear it one time. Tux rentals run similarly depending on style.

That’s where Cinderella’s Closet can help. The “shop” offers Hays CISD students free dress rentals for special events, including prom, quincieneras and weddings. They also have limited items for the guys, such as tux jackets and shoes.

Housed inside Lehman High School, Cinderella’s Closet is a small room within a room in one of the school’s classrooms. It has a door and glass plate window. Inside, visitors can see racks of dresses and a shelf with shoes and accessories.

About 27 students in the Lehman Spanish Honor Society volunteer their time to run the shop. 

“We’re open before school every day and at most lunches and after school,” student Melysa Alvarez said.

In the past, the store was managed under the Life Skills classes, which is part of Hays CISD’s Special Education program. But Lehman Spanish teachers Kohavy Enriques and Lourdes Queen, staff advisors of the honor club, said it moved under the Spanish Honor Society in 2013.

Members of the club are in charge of the store, including inventory, operations and display. They also created a tiny changing space with a mirror, all behind a divider to allow for privacy in trying on dresses.

This year, the group had to rebuild its inventory following a fire in the kitchen that caused the sprinklers to go off. 

Enriquez said Cinderella’s Closet was near the kitchen and suffered a lot of water damage.

“We lost a lot of dresses,” she said.

But with what was remaining and new donations of women’s dresses, shoes and purses, the tiny shop was still able to open this year. Offerings for guys are still limited.

“We only have two tux jackets,” Melysa said.

The group said it appreciates any donations for women or men, but are lacking on the men’s clothing and accessories.

“We don’t have any ties or shoes,” student volunteer Madison Batman said.

Enriquez said the group works with Men’s Warehouse in Austin’s Southpark Meadows to help provide tuxes for male students.

The only good part about the loss was the chance to update the store’s inventory, which the students said was nice, but a little dated.

Community support helped replenish the store’s stock.

“We’ve had people drop off dresses just about every day,” Enriquez said.

A look at the dresses confirms that many of the dress styles are modern and elegant. One blue swirly sleeveless number still has the tags on it.

“It was $265,” Enriques said.

The honor club volunteers said they enjoy running the store because it helps students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend prom.

They want to tell students to not be afraid to come to Cinderella’s Closet because of some possible negative perception.

“It’s more about the experience and the night than where you got your dress from,” Melysa said.