'They just light up:' BipBoppity Boutique's mission to make prom accessible to all, one gown at a time

LACONIA — The feelings high-schoolers can get from prom — of coming of age, of confidence, of the thrilling spectacle of a formal event — are priceless. The event itself — from tickets to dresses and tuxedos to accessories to transportation — is pricey. So pricey that many students each year feel they can’t afford to attend.

After facing such potential with her own daughter, Kimberly England was inspired to open BipBoppity Boutique. Since it started in 2016, the nonprofit organization has given free formal and semi-formal dresses to anyone with an upcoming event, no questions asked.

“I see girls come in of all shapes and sizes,” England told The Daily Sun. “They find dresses and most of the time they just light up. It's like something happens with them. They know they don't have to worry about the costs. They're not fighting with the parents about how much the price tag is or anything.”

“It's just a different mindset,” she continued. “They can put aside all of that extra stuff and just enjoy being in their body.”

Unable to afford buying a new dress for her daughter Sabrina’s junior prom, England brought her to a place in Allenstown, a “barn full of dresses” called the Cinderella Project. Sabrina fell in love with a gown there and came away elated. 

“I will never forget the way my daughter felt,” England said. Though she had always strived to create a positive environment for her children, “we couldn't afford to do the things that a lot of kids could do.” 

But finding a dress, and all it symbolized, lit Sabrina up “like the Fourth of July,” England said. They took her prom pictures that very afternoon, on their drive home, near a river. “We didn't need all of the extra, we didn't need a salon, we didn't need all this fancy stuff, because she was just glowing. And that just resonated with me.” 

The Cinderella Project, though, had informed England and her daughter they were closing down. She was inspired, and laid the groundwork for starting her own such initiative in the Lakes Region.

After a few years of preparation, BipBoppity was born. Housed at the Laconia Community Center, England strives to create a boutique atmosphere that imbues the space with the specialness of the events for which people are shopping.

“When you walk in it really feels like you're going to shop at a real boutique,” Sabrina, now 26, said of BipBoppity. “It doesn't feel like a warehouse where you're just going in getting free dresses ... it really feels like she put her heart and soul into creating it.”

England has more dresses than she can give away. She can only display 1,000 at a time, but has three times that number. The stock is donated from retail suppliers, from other dress stores or organizations, and from the community.

Often, clients will take home more than one dress, England said, but just as many end up donating several others afterwards. 

The only thing she is short on, which she's actively seeking donations for, is garments to expand her size spectrum, especially those size 14 and up. The more sizes and options available, she said, the more people she is able to help.

England estimates that she sees hundreds of clients each year. Each appointment is a personal and special experience.

She recalled a woman in her 50s or 60s, shopping for a “mom prom,” who was unsure of a dress with an open back. 

She asked the client if she had a daughter, who replied that she did. “I said, ‘If your daughter was wearing that dress, would you tell her not to wear it because she has a little bit of back fat showing?’ She's like, ‘Oh my God, no. I’d tell her she looks like a bombshell,’” England recounted. “I said ‘Yeah, exactly.’”

The appointment was a reminder about how people, especially women, perceive themselves less generously than they do others.

“We're so hard on ourselves. Yet, we see each other as beauties. We women need to build each other up. That’s what I’m trying to do: to build these girls up and give them confidence,” she said. “It's not about how much money you spend on the dress or how small you are or what salon you went to to get your hair done.”

England, who is a fifth grade teacher, stressed that there is no need-based requirement to make an appointment. Many clients, she said, “almost feel like this need to explain why they need a dress for free, even though I would never ask.”

England is currently booking appointments on Saturdays, and contact information can be found at facebook.com/Bipboppityboutique. In addition to prom dresses, BipBoppity has wedding dresses, semi-formal dresses, some menswear, children’s Easter dresses and a limited supply of shoes and jewelry.

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The Sunshine Effect is a new series in The Laconia Daily Sun highlighting the people and organizations working to improve our communities through volunteering and fundraising. We believe that telling their stories will encourage others to support their work, and launch new charitable efforts of their own.