We were lucky to catch up with Laura Wissa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Prom Beach started out as a passion project in March of 2020 just before the COVID lockdown. I was speaking with a friend on the phone and while we were chatting away, her daughter, who was a Senior in High School, learned her prom had been cancelled. As you can imagine, she was very upset and disappointed. As the conversation continued, I realized for this young lady this was a moment in time she was never going to get back – a Senior in high school attending Senior Prom. From there, my mind went to the teens that I have worked with through Junior League of the Palm Beaches, Boys and Girls Club and other organizations I am involved in, and realized these teens are missing out on important high school milestone moments due to costs. Homecoming, Prom and other high school events are important rites of passage that every high school student should attend. There should not be barriers, nor should they be made to feel excluded due to costs. Having spearheaded two prom dress drives for Junior League, I announced I was going to do a prom dress drive and partner with four child services agencies that are meaningful to me.

After the lockdown, I sent out an eblast and a Facebook post requesting gowns. By August we had over 600 gowns all hanging in my living room. My husband came to me and said, I think this is bigger than you realize, and you need to start your own nonprofit! We met with a friend and mentor who is the Director of an organization and shared with her what we were doing, and should we start our own nonprofit? YES! You MUST do this!

In Junior League we are taught to Find the Need and Fill It. Prom Beach was founded on this belief and continues to dress teens in Palm Beach County. Through the process of creating a nonprofit words like risk, failure, unnecessary, unwanted, not needed never crossed my mind. This was about filling a teen’s desire to attend an important high school event and giving them the opportunity to do so.

Problem solving, serving the community, compassion, and a passion to transform a teen’s life is what drives Prom Beach to strive to be a go to agency for a Cinderella Moment.

Sometimes the best ideas start in one’s living room!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Prom Beach is the only permanent prom closet in Palm Beach County providing free formal wear to low-income teens. In partnering with 22 child services agencies, we eliminate barriers in order for teens to attend important high school events. Prom Beach does not ask for proof of need as we already know the teens from the agencies are coming to us in need. Our goal is to eliminate barriers, shame and judgement while providing a one-on-one boutique shopping experience. Each teen leaves with a gown or cocktail dress, shoes, wrap, purse and jewelry – a complete outfit.

Prom Beach started out as a passion project and recently celebrated our 3-year anniversary as a registered non-profit. We would love to see the organization grow throughout the State of Florida and dress as many teens as possible.

Prom Beach is 100% volunteer with no one taking a salary and 100% donation based. Currently we have over 10,000 pieces in our inventory and expecting to dress over 1200 teens. Financial and clothing donations are taken throughout the year.

One of the most rewarding things is to watch this organization grow from an idea to fruition. May we continue to be successful, touch hearts, change a teen’s life and give lifelong high school memories.

Please visit www.prombeach.org to learn more and to see our gorgeous showroom and how to donate!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In order to ensure that Prom Beach is dressing those teens most in need, we only partner with child services agencies. To date we have 22 Prom Partners, with agencies ranging from homelessness, poverty, education and the LGBTQ+ community. With over 7000 nonprofits in Palm Beach County, the hope is to continue to grow and expand through the partnering agencies. Our Prom Partners are our biggest cheerleaders and with their help and reach, we hope to share stories with and by them.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Having lived in Palm Beach County for over 20 years and involved with numerous organizations, I have gotten to know quite a few people in our community. As a Past President of Junior League of the Palm Beaches and the number of years as a Junior Leaguer I have been introduced to a lot of different organizations and agencies. These associations and friendships have help fuel the belief in our mission.

Through these organizations, speaking engagements and friends, Prom Beach has received a lot of support. As more people learn about Prom Beach, our mission and come to the showroom to see all that we have and are doing, the support continues to grow. Our 22 Prom Partners also share with friends, peers and co-workers the work Prom Beach is doing in the community.

Print and social media is a must now for any business! Sharing pictures is the key to our success. You see the joy, the smiles and the enthusiasm in the face of both the volunteers and the teens. It’s very impact as “a picture paints a thousand words”.

Word of mouth continues to bring in shoppers (yes, we open our doors to shoppers), donors and believers.

Prom Beach continues to open its doors to anyone who wants to learn more about us, join us in volunteering, take a tour, or just drop off a donation. As our reputation continues to grow more people are moved by our mission. May it continue to do so into the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prombeach.org
• Instagram: @prombeach
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prombeach/
• Linkedin: Laura Wissa

Image Credits

Palm Beach Post