Meaghan Kirby had a dilemma. The Cheshire High School sophomore needed two prom dresses—one for the junior prom, another for the senior. “With the economy being so bad this year, I knew I needed to save some money,” she says. Her mom, Kathy, knew the perfect place:

Kristen’s Kloset in Southington.

The shop, open from mid-March through mid-May, sells new and gently used prom dresses for $25 to $35. The shop was founded in memory of Kristen Warner, a DePaolo Middle School student who died in a car accident in 2004. “This is the perfect dress!” says Kirby of a light blue gown sprinkled with tiny silver stars, which she bought for the junior prom. Girls are allowed to buy only one dress per year, so Kirby found a second dress on sale a regular retail shop for the senior prom.

Kristen’s Kloset expects to sell at least 200 dresses this season. Some of the proceeds go to vouchers for boys to rent tuxedos and buy prom tickets, the rest is used to buy end-of-season dresses, shoes, accessories and jewelry.