Dress shop’s sudden shuttering leaving grads with loose threads

Always and Forever Formalwear announced its closure on Jan. 31

CLARENVILLE — The sudden closure of a formalwear shop in Clarenville has left many patrons scrambling, not only to secure deposits paid for dresses previously ordered, but also to ensure they will have a dress in time for fast-approaching graduations.

With a short Facebook post on Friday, Jan. 31, Always and Forever Formalwear officially closed its doors for good.

“Store closing permanently, will phone about layaways in the back within the next couple of days,” read the entirety of the message.

Having been in business under current ownership since 2017, the shop itself dates back over 20 years in Clarenville.

Recently, they’ve found an audience by making regular social media posts to show off new stock and interact with potential customers far and wide.

However, since the closure announcement, there have been no official updates on the fate of the dresses.

Kim Gordon of Glovertown is a mother of a Grade 12 student in the local high school.

Gordon told The Packet she sympathizes with anyone going though financial hardship, having to close a business, but she would just like to see some of the loose threads addressed.

She says she, along with her daughter, visited the store on Dec. 10 to dress shop.

They ended up ordering a dress through the store that needed to be delivered. It was discontinued but the supplier had a dress they could send.

They paid a $305 deposit via debit and were told it would be in Clarenville by the end of February.

Gordon’s situation is not unique, as she’s been in contact with many other worried customers. She feared it was too late to order a new dress.

After the initial Facebook post, a dress company in British Columbia called Grad Central offered to fill the order with a 20 per cent off discount.

“They have a very wide inventory and would look for our dress,” she said. They reached out to the supplier and told Gordon the dresses were not paid for in the initial order.

Gordon has arranged to pay the full amount again, minus 20 per cent, to have the dress sent to them directly from Grad Central.

But not all graduates and their families can afford to do that. Gordon knows personally of these instances.

She says she feels bad for the owner, but just wants more clarification.

“The only acceptable resolution for me is: I want my money back. Whether or not I get it? I don’t know.”

She adds, “The longer she’s silent, the worse it looks.”

The Packet contacted the owner of Always and Forever for comment, however has not received a reply as of publication time on Feb. 4.