Pop Up Boutiques To Be Held Across East End In Preparation For Prom

Vicky Urbelis will go beyond her typical duties as director of teen services at the Hampton Bays Library next month. Amid helping teenagers find the perfect book, she also will be offering dress consulting services for high school juniors and seniors who are looking for the perfect prom dress.The Ponquogue Avenue public library will host its seventh annual prom dress drive—a two-week event, held in the library’s teen department, from May 13 to 24—where students can snag either a poofy ball gown or a sleek, bejeweled, floor-length dress, depending on their tastes.

Tuxedos, ties and other men’s formal wear also will be available, as well as shoes, handbags and accessories.

It’s all offered at no cost.

The drive has successfully dressed Hampton Bays promgoers for years, but this year Ms. Urbelis decided to change things up a bit and expand the program.

On top of hosting the library’s own pop-up boutique, she has reached out to other Suffolk County libraries, including John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, to create the county’s first collaborative prom dress giveaway.

“Project Prom,” as it has been dubbed, will offer the same services at a larger scale, according to Ms. Urbelis, who said that more than half of the county’s 64 libraries have agreed to collect donations.

The one-day event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Suffolk Cooperative Library on Sunrise Highway in Bellport.

The East Hampton Library, as well as Pierson High School in Sag Harbor, have jumped on the bandwagon, eager to host their own pop-up boutiques to combat the rising costs associated with attending prom. The East Hampton Library held its event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Lisa Michne, the young adult department head, said on Wednesday, April 10, that roughly 20 of the 60 donated dresses were taken home. She added that the remaining gowns and accessories will be sent to the Suffolk County Cooperative Library in Bellport for the May 11 event. “We didn’t have as many as I was expecting,” she said.

Next year, Ms. Michne plans to offer the prom drive as a “drop-in” event over several weeks, rather than a one-day event.

Ms. Urbelis, who inherited the responsibility of hosting the Hampton Bays Library prom drive from her predecessors, Theresa Maritato and Jacqueline Dunn, said that every student nearing the end of his or her high school career should be able to attend prom.

“Prom is a rite of passage for a lot of kids,” she said. “It signifies that the end of your high school life and the beginning of your adult life is coming closer, and you want to celebrate.”

Teen librarian Kimberly Parry, who joined the John Jermain Library staff in September, said that teens have been able to browse racks of dresses, tuxedos and suit jackets since March 1. She said that all donations must be received by May 3, as the library is sharing resources and materials with the Pierson High School event on May 4.

Ms. Parry—who didn’t attend her own prom—said on Monday that she intends to follow in Ms. Urbelis’s footsteps and continue working with the school in the future to offer the prom dress drive annually.

“You don’t often think about kids in the Hamptons having a hard time being able to afford going to prom,” she said. “I just want to provide this service to the kids out here.”

Local businesses, including Cactus Salon in Manorville and Rico’s Clothing in Center Moriches, have also offered gift certificates to be raffled off at the collaborative event on May 11. The Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services has also agreed to offer beauty services for teenagers looking to have their hair and makeup done.

“I don’t think that teens, even parents, realize the costs that are associated with attending prom,” Ms. Urbelis said. Speaking of the prom dress drive, she said, “It’s just to make teenagers feel worthy of being able to attend that threshold event. Everyone is worthy.”