NORTHWOOD —Tis the season — prom season that is. And Fringe and Lace by Brittany has area teens covered, and not just the ladies.

Brittany Low of Northwood, formerly of Albert Lea, opened her formal wear shop Feb. 2 and offers tuxedo rentals along with a variety of prom dresses.

“All of the dresses that I actually have are all consignment,” Low said. “They’re all owned by someone else, and I’m just trying to help exchange them into someone else’s hands that will love them just as much as their original owners.”

Starting with prom dresses on consignment seemed like the best choice to Low, who took possession of her property at 89 Eighth St. N in Northwood Jan. 1. After two weeks of construction and painting work, she only had two weeks to gather dresses to put on the racks for opening day.

“So many people have beautiful dresses in their closets that are in brand-new condition, so why not try to move them onto someone else?” she said. “I have dresses in here that were purchased last year for $700, and we’re selling them for half of that.”

Low has collected dresses from a 60-mile radius, all of which were originally purchased in the last few years to ensure they are still fashionable by today’s standards.

Her store is open for prom shopping between 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays or by appointment.

“Sometimes it’s fun for girls to come in with their friends,” Low said of shopping for prom. Weddings are a little different.

Low said she wants each bride to be the only bride in the store so the focus can be them and finding the best dress for their special day, so all bridal shopping is done by appointment as are tuxedo rentals, tailoring appointments and fittings, which Low also does in her shop.

Low plans to carry mother of the bride, bridesmaids and bridal gowns on a consignment as well as carrying new dresses in the store. She is working with a few different designers that have gowns not carried in the area.

Low said she hopes to provide a bridal experience that makes her shop a destination place for brides in the area who may otherwise have to go to Rochester or Minneapolis.

While Low continues to iron out some of the details of her business, some things are clear.

“Fashion has always been something that I had looked to and wanted to go into,” Low said. “For some reason I’ve just always had the passion for it. There’s something really fun about helping a person find something they feel really good in.”

For more information about Fringe and Lace by Brittany, call 641-381-0646, visit her Facebook page or her Etsy site, where some of her custom projects can be viewed at www.etsy.com/shop/fringeandlacebybritt.