TAUNTON A gown and tuxedo rental shop has opened at 44 Weir St. in downtown Taunton, where Miss Louise Prom Closet rents dresses, suits, shoes and accessories for proms, weddings, homecomings and other special occasions.
Mayor Shaunna O'Connell joined the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce, state officials and community members for a ribbon cutting at the shop during the week of its grand opening, the City of Taunton said in a Nov. 7 post welcoming the business, which it called Miss Louise's Prom Closet and Special Occasion Rental Shop. The shop held its grand opening that Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with giveaways and a promotion with Neighbor's Coffee.
"Dresses are made to be worn more than once, and they're pretty much a timeless item," owner Julie Costa told WBSM in December 2024, when the station profiled her shop at 47 Broad St. in Bridgewater. "They don't really go out of style, and trends do come back."
Costa opened her first storefront in Bridgewater in 2021 and began renting gowns, WBSM reported, and the city's Nov. 7 post congratulated Costa and the Miss Louise's team on "their new location" on Weir Street.
What the shop rents
The shop rents dresses, men's suits and tuxedos, shoes, handbags and accessories, at what the city described as "very affordable rental prices."
In Bridgewater, dresses rented for under $50 with Costa covering the cleaning, and shoes and jewelry for under $20, The Enterprise reported in January 2022. By December 2024 a dress normally rented for $40, and Costa told WBSM that her nonprofit Prom Closet covers "any boy or girl in need." "At the Prom Closet, we won't deny anyone who needs a dress or a suit. I also have men's formal wear," she said then.
Renters in Bridgewater had two weeks to bring a dress back, and after 40 to 60 dresses went unreturned in early 2024, WBZ-TV reported that Costa, whom it identified as Julie Lovell, would keep credit cards on file, send a letter when a gown was out longer than two weeks and begin charging late fees.
Store hours
The city listed these regular hours, with the store closed Mondays unless the day is a school holiday or falls in a vacation week.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Sunday | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Monday | Closed, except school holidays and vacation weeks |
| Tuesday | 2 to 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Thursday | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Friday | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Who Miss Louise was
Costa told the people gathered for the ribbon cutting that Miss Louise was her grandmother, who was always finely dressed, the city said.
Costa started the business during the pandemic after losing her job, The Enterprise reported. She bought gowns on sale from Macy's and asked for dresses on Facebook, and within five weeks she had collected more than 500 dresses and gowns, WBSM reported. The business, formerly called Lulu's Prom Closet and Special Occasions Rental, began in a shop of 230 square feet, and by January 2022 she had moved into a space of more than 800 square feet on Broad Street with three dressing rooms and room for more than 3,000 dresses, about 90% of them donations, The Enterprise reported.
A holiday program for downtown shops
Taunton businesses, the new shop among them, can sign up for the city's 2026 Lights On Business Builder Button Program, which the city runs with the Downtown Taunton Foundation. A business offers a December deal to customers who show their official 2026 Lights On button, and promotions submitted through the registration form on the city's website by Nov. 25 are listed on the Lights On Festival website and promoted on the city's social media pages. The deals run Dec. 1 to 31, though downtown businesses will not offer them during the festival Dec. 5, and the city lists Jay Pateakos, jpateakos@taunton-ma.gov, for questions. The buttons and the festival schedule are in our story on Lights On and the Christmas Parade.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The opening, the ribbon cutting, the address, what the shop rents, the hours, the grand opening and the story of the name come from the City of Taunton's Nov. 7 Facebook post welcoming the business, and the address also from the shop's own Facebook page. The Lights On Business Builder dates come from the city's Nov. 6 News Flash. The shop's Bridgewater history, its earlier prices and Costa's quotes come from WBSM (December 2024), The Enterprise (January 2022) and WBZ-TV (February 2024), each credited where used, and we read all of them on Nov. 10 and checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Nov. 7 and Dec. 5, 2026 are Saturdays, Nov. 25 is a Wednesday.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (7)
- City of Taunton, "WELCOME TO DOWNTOWN TAUNTON, MISS LOUISE'S PROM CLOSET!" (Facebook post, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026)The ribbon cutting with Mayor O'Connell, the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce, state officials and community members; 44 Weir Street; what the shop rents; very affordable rental prices; Miss Louise was owner Julie Costa's grandmother, always finely dressed; regular hours and the Monday rule; grand opening Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., giveaways and a promotion with Neighbor's Coffee; "their new location." Ribbon-cutting photo. Read Nov. 10, 2026, in the post's public embed.
- Miss Louise Prom Closet and Special Occasions Rental (the shop's own Facebook page)Page listing: Taunton, "Miss Louise Prom Closet & Special Occasion Rental 44 Weir Street Taunton Ma." Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- City of Taunton, "2026 Lights On Business Builder Button Program" (News Flash, posted Nov. 6, 2026)With the Downtown Taunton Foundation; December deal for button holders; Nov. 25 deadline for the Lights On Festival website listing; deals Dec. 1 to 31; no downtown discounts during the Dec. 5 festival; registration form on the city site; contact Jay Pateakos. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- City of Taunton, Mayor's OfficeMayor Shaunna O'Connell. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- WBSM, "Townsquare Sunday" item on the Miss Louise Prom Closet Prom Expo (Jim Phillips, Dec. 22, 2024)Julie Lovell Costa, 47 Broad Street, Bridgewater; started in the pandemic with Macy's sale gowns and Facebook donations, more than 500 in five weeks; storefront in 2021; $40 rentals; the nonprofit Prom Closet; her quotes. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- The Enterprise, "Bridgewater formal wear: Miss Louise Prom Closet rents discount gowns" (Alisha Saint-Ciel, Jan. 24, 2022, republished on Yahoo as "Bridgewater prom shop is changing the fashion game one dress at a time")Started after the pandemic left her jobless; formerly Lulu's Prom Closet; 230 square foot first shop; 47 Broad St. Suite 101, more than 800 square feet, three dressing rooms, more than 3,000 dresses; 90% donations; dress rentals under $50 with cleaning covered; shoes and jewelry under $20. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- WBZ-TV, CBS Boston, "Massachusetts gown rental shop forced to make changes after dozens of dresses not returned" (Katrina Kincade, updated Feb. 20, 2024)Two week return window; 40 to 60 dresses not returned; credit cards on file, letters after two weeks, late fees. Read Nov. 10, 2026.