Tuxedo shop adds prom and wedding garments

Dana Knowles has expanded her business yet again - she's added wedding and prom dresses to her tuxedo sales and rentals business.
"I want Dana's Tuxedo Sales and Rentals to be known as a tuxedo store that does wedding and prom dresses on the side," she said in a recent interview.
Knowles added Sarno and Sons tuxedos in the summer of 2009 to her existing Day' Javu women's thrift clothing store, which is celebrating its 7th anniversary this year.

"The tuxedo business is doing very well," she said. "Business increased 10 percent last year and we're estimating a 25 percent increase this year. But we were missing the wedding and prom dress market."
Not any more. About 150 proms dresses arrived last week just in time for the start of the prom season, with more on the way, and about 60 wedding dresses are now in stock as well, also with more coming.
Priced at 30 percent to 50 percent off retail, the prom dresses start at about $100. The wedding dresses range from about $500 upward.
Knowles inked a deal in January with PiZazz Wedding Boutique in Baltimore to sell on consignment its extra inventory and discontinued styles, she explained. The dresses at Dana's Tuxedo are one-of-a-kind and all new, she said.
This is the first time Knowles has taken on consignment sales. In the past, she has accepted donations of used clothing at her shop. She donates a portion of every sale to local organizations that benefit women in need.
The selection of dresses also includes some formal wear that are quite suitable for black-tie affairs, Knowles said, and some would be fine for the mother of the bride.
Alterations will not be available, she said.
Knowles can work with individual customer's budgets and needs, she said.
She also recently added dry cleaning and shoe repair to her array of services.
Dana's Tuxedo and Day' Javu, located at 124-127 N. Queen St. in downtown Martinsburg is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment in the evening. After spring break and through the prom season, she will be open until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.