Shine, Inc. set to open this Saturday in new location on Main St., Ash Grove

Shine, Inc. (formerly A Night to Shine) will open in its new location at 116 West Main Street, Ash Grove, on Saturday, Feb. 22. The non-profit will be operating a dress boutique in a space above Griffin Industries. Stuart Coutchie, owner of Griffin Industries, donated the space for Shine, Inc. to use.
Aimee Gerla, founder of Shine, Inc., said the former apartment had not been occupied since the 1970s, so a lot of work went into making the space useable.
“We had to fix the walls, refinish the floors, and wire in some electricity,” she said. “I knew all this was way too much for us to do on our own, so I started letting others know about my needs and vision for this new location. Several local businesses, churches and individuals started donating money and labor to our non-profit. It was amazing to see how everyone pitched in and made this all happen.”
Among the local businesses and organizations contributing to Shine, Inc. were SOMO Small Engine Repair, which finished and painted the floors, made racks for the dresses and hung the exterior door and Keller Drywall, which fixed the ceiling. Queen Bee Floral made a sandwich sign for the sidewalk and some flower arrangements, and Lantern Light Farms handcrafted an exterior sign.
True Value Hardware provided supplies and windows at a discounted rate. Mama Loca’s stored all of the dresses for the boutique, about 250 in all, and the Ash Grove FFA helped move them to the boutique when the location was ready. Ash Grove Pharmacy created and printed flyers to go to the schools advertising Shine, Inc., and Principal Kelli Hartman’s husband installed the windows. Old-Missouri Bank and Wilson-Griffin Funeral Home made monetary donations.
Gerla said Shine, Inc. has 250 dresses for girls to choose from, and the new building has more space, so the girls can try on their dresses at the boutique.
“There are two dressing rooms for the girls to try on dresses and we also have an area for the families to sit while they wait,” she said.
The mission of Shine, Inc. is to provide prom dresses and tuxedoes to students whose families cannot afford to purchase new dresses or rent tuxedos for them.
“We want to help families that can’t financially afford the price of prom,” Gerla said. “Dresses and tuxedos can cost so much now and we don’t want a student to not go to prom due to the cost of a dress or tux rental. That’s why we are here. We have a donation box if you would like to pay a little for the dress but we also have vouchers available to those that need 100-percent financial assistance. We don’t want to turn anyone away.”
However, Gerla asks that those who can afford to purchase a dress elsewhere, do so.
“We don’t want to be just another option for people,” she said. “If you are able to afford to spend more money on a dress, and you just want to get a good deal, then we ask for you to go somewhere else. We have had families come in the past that have bought a few dresses and gotten a free dress from us and decided afterwards which dress they ended up wearing to prom. That takes away options from others that really need our assistance. That all being said, if you need assistance and you can only pay (up to) $50, please come and use our services. We are more than happy to help you.”
Shine, Inc. will be open every Saturday at 116 West Main Street in Ash Grove from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., beginning on Saturday, Feb. 22 and continuing until May 2.
Hair care…
In addition to dresses and tuxedos, Gerla said there will also be “some hair updo’s for the girls by some hair salons, but supplies are limited.”
Vouchers…
For those who need dress vouchers, they are available in the following school districts: Ash Grove, Rogersville, Sparta, Everton, Walnut Grove, Willard, Stockton, Greenfield, Miller, Pleasant Hope, Mt. Vernon, Aurora, Marionville and Billings.
Donate…
Anyone who would like to donate a gently-used prom dress can drop them off at the following locations: Ash Grove High School or the Superintendent’s office, Logan-Rogersville High School, Ash Grove Pharmacy, the pharmacy at Pleasant Hope, Emmaus Church in Springfield, or the counselor’s department at Willard High School.
For more information, send an e-mail to anightotshine70@gmail.com, or visit Shine, Inc.’s Facebook page.