According to Summer Lucille, the owner of Juicy Body Goddess, a plus-size-only boutique based in North Carolina, “When she got into that purple dress, she lit up.”
A teenager traveled for six hours hoping to find the perfect dress for her prom. Not only was she successful in her search, but she also obtained the dress at no charge.
When Elyse Monroe walked in for her dress consultation at Juicy Body Goddess, a plus-size-only boutique in North Carolina, the owner, Summer Lucille, told PEOPLE that she could tell the teenager was “nervous and shy.”
Elyse Monroe. PHOTO: JUICYBODYGODDESS/TIKTOK
Her mother, two aunts, and her grandmother, who all had very strong opinions about the teen’s choices, assisted her in finding the ideal dress, and each had their unique perspective. In addition to this, they were very adamant about adhering to their budget of $400.
The manager of the store where Lucille works approached her right at the beginning of the conversation and informed her that the types of dresses the student was interested in would be priced higher than that. What did the owner of the business say in response? “Everything will be fine in the end.”
Lucille said they had driven six hours and told them not to worry about the budget as they would figure it out.
However, the subject of money remained to be brought up.
Lucille stated that she normally streams all of her consultations and that while she took the teenager shopping, she received a phone call from one of her followers who offered to contribute $200.
Lucille said that at that moment, she knew the universe was telling her to give the dress. She also mentioned that the follower was like an angel reminding her that she needed to give. Lucille recalled that when she went in, the mom and the aunties kept asking how much the dress was. She told them they would worry about the price when they got to the register.
As the student looked for the ideal outfit, Lucille experienced what she describes as an “emotional” moment.
The teenager tries on some dresses in a viral TikTok video from the fitting, which currently has over 13 million views. One of the gowns, however, really takes the cake.
Lucille said that when the girl got into the purple dress, she lit up and couldn’t let her walk out of the store without that dress.
The 18-year-old is trying on her prom dress. JUICYBODYGODDESS/TIKTOK
“I’m not good with holding secrets,” she says, so Lucille tried to get to the register as fast as possible with the dress to avoid prematurely revealing the good news.
When it was eventually time to tell them how much the dress cost, the proprietor claims that the family was “in shock” when she told them that the gown had a price tag of $700.
But what she said to them next was even more shocking than their early reaction: “Well, it’s free.”
When the family finally figures out what’s going on, the expressions of delight on their faces are exciting to watch in the TikTok video. In the video, the distraught teenager says, “I’m going to cry.”
What was it that the camera didn’t capture? The remaining clients inside the shop began to applaud as soon as they heard the news.
“It was a beautiful, beautiful moment,” says Lucille.
Elyse Monroe and family. JUICYBODYGODDESS/TIKTOK
Since 2016, Lucille has focused exclusively on providing plus-size fashion at her boutique. However, her shop is about much more than just selling clothing to her clients.
She said that she knew the struggles of being unable to find something to wear and added that it was not like other places where they only had two dresses that one might be able to fit, but in their place, every dress could fit anyone.
In addition, she has stated that it is her mission to create a “safe place” and “give everybody this experience that they won’t forget, “, particularly for the prom.
The owner stated that prom was a whole other level of excitement and joy and mentioned that she cried at every consultation. She also shared that she had a horrific time at her prom because she couldn’t find anything to wear, and her dress was terrible, making it a very sad time in her life. She further added that dressing these girls was healing for her.
Summer Lucille at Juicy Body Goddess. JUICY BODY GODDESS
And even though Lucille claims numerous acts of generosity take place at her business that she does not talk about, she was aware that she could not keep this one to herself.
She explained that she wanted people to feel good and to understand that they should give back. She also mentioned that the response to her efforts was out of this world, as people asked in the comments how they could donate, give, or help the next girl. She believed that her video had done something because many people, not just chubby girls, had bad memories from prom or high school, and that’s what moved people to want to give.
However, not even she could have predicted one TikTok tweet’s impact.
In an interview with Today, an 18-year-old high school student stated that shopping was usually pretty stressful for her, so she mostly shopped online. However, she had a great time shopping at Lucille’s, and they laughed the whole time. She added that she felt beautiful in the dress she chose.
Lucille chose to leave a statement on the store’s website rather than make a major announcement, and she mentioned that anyone interested could purchase gift cards online at the store’s website. She claims that since she uploaded the video on Saturday, there have already been transactions of gift cards worth $12,000.
For Lucille, it was another mission accomplished as she wanted people to know that her store was a safe place for everyone, regardless of their size, and everyone had the right to be loved.
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