Kunkletown Thrift Store at the Eldred Township Community Center is gearing up for their annual prom dress sale on March 29.

Donna Deihl, the manager of the store, said they have more than 1,000 dresses and are still accepting donations. She anticipates they will have about 1,100 dresses available for girls excited about the prom by the time of the sale.

“A lot of them still have the tags on them,” Deihl said. The thrift shop gets donations from bridal shops.

Of the ones they get from people, the store volunteers go through them carefully and pull any that are out of fashion or needs repairs, so the styles are up-to-date, Deihl said.

This is the seventh year the thrift store has held the sale. Deihl said they started it, because “of the price of going to the prom and helping the community. It helps the girls. It’s not a wealthy area, and this way they can have a beautiful dress.”

New prom dresses can run upward of $400 or more.

The price of each dress at the thrift store is $10. The store accepts cash or credit and debit cards.

There is a limit of two dresses per student, and the girls must have their student identification cards with them. The sale is open to students who are home-schooled.

Deihl said they have dress shoes and accessories, such as clutch purses and jewelry to go with the dresses, but they don’t have a large supply of those items.

“You could walk out of here and you’re ready for the prom,” she said.

Dress sizes range from 0 to 24, and there will be dressing rooms available for the girls to try on the dresses. The store will be closed to other customers. It’s only for the girls and their friends and family. The store is too busy for other customers.

“The prom dress sale is just crazy,” Deihl said.

The first year of the sale, they only had 50 dresses but word has spread about the sale, and donations and customers have increased over the years. Last year, a group of girls came in a minibus, Deihl said.

If someone would like to donate a prom dress for the sale, the thrift store is will accepting donations. Dresses will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays up to the day of the sale. People bringing in donations should come inside and tell a volunteer they have a donation.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.