Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Shop for Prom Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: 'I Want People to Feel Good'

Maria Pasquini
·5 min read
17
Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’
Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’

juicybodygoddess/TikTok Elyse Monroe

A teenager drove six hours to find the prom dress of her dreams — and not only did she find the one, she ended up getting it for free.

Summer Lucille, owner of Juicy Body Goddess, a plus-size only boutique in North Carolina, tells PEOPLE that when Elyse Monroe came in for her dress consultation, she could tell the teenager was "nervous and shy."

Helping her pick out the perfect dress were her mother, two aunts and her grandmother, who all had very strong opinions about the teen's options. They were also very firm on sticking to their $400 budget.

At the very start of the consultation, Lucille's store manager came to her and said that the kinds of dresses the student was interested in would be more expensive than that. The store owner's response? "It'll work itself out."

"They drove six hours," Lucille recalls saying. "Don't worry about the budget, we'll figure it out."

RELATED: Teen Mom Brings Her 18-Month-Old Son to Prom as Her Date: 'I Took My Biggest Blessing'

But, the topic of money kept coming up.

Lucille said that she usually streams all of her consultations, and that during the teen's shopping trip she received a phone call from one of her followers, offering to chip in $200.

"At that moment, I knew that was the universe telling me, just give her the dress," Lucille says. "That follower was just an angel just reminding me that just you have to give."

"I went in and the mom and the aunties kept asking, 'How much is this dress?' " she recalls. "I said, 'Well, we'll worry about the price when we get to the register.' " 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And watching the student find the perfect dress was an "emotional" moment for Lucille.

In a viral TikTok from the fitting — which has over 13 million views — the teen tries on a number of gowns, but one really takes the cake.

"When she got into that purple dress, she lit up," Lucille tells PEOPLE. "I couldn't let her walk out of that store without that dress."

Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry
Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry

juicybodygoddess/TikTok The 18-year-old trying on her prom dress

In an effort not to prematurely let the good news slip — "I'm not good with holding secrets," she says — Lucille tried to rush to the register with the dress as quickly as possible.

When the time finally came to tell them how much the dress cost, the owner says the family was "in shock" when she told them it was a $700 gown.

But they were even more surprised by what she told them next: "Well, it's free."

In the TikTok video, the family's joy is on full display when they realize what's going on. "I'm going to cry," the emotional teen says in the clip.

What you couldn't see on camera? The rest of the customers inside the store started cheering.

"It was a beautiful, beautiful moment," says Lucille.

Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’
Elyse Monroe, Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’

juicybodygoddess/TikTok Elyse Monroe and family

RELATED: 97-Year-Old Grandma Goes to Her First Prom — and She's Named Honorary Prom Queen!

For Lucille, who's been solely offering plus-size fashion at her boutique since 2016, her store is about more than just clothes.

"I know the struggles of not being able to find something to wear," she says. "This is not like other places where we got two dresses that you might be able to fit. Every dress can fit you."

More than that, she says it's her goal to create a "safe place" and "give everybody this experience that they don't forget" — especially when it comes to prom.

"Prom is a whole other level of excitement and joy. I cry at every consultation," the owner says. "I had a horrific time at prom. I couldn't find nothing. The dress I wore was horrific. It was a very sad time in my life."

"So me dressing these girls, it's healing," she adds.

Summer Lucille, Prom Dress Shop Owner- Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’
Summer Lucille, Prom Dress Shop Owner- Teen Who Drove 6 Hours to Look at Prom Dresses Gifted $700 Dress by Store Owner: ‘I’m Going to Cry’

Juicy Body Goddess Summer Lucille at Juicy Body Goddess

And while Lucille says there's many acts of generosity that take place at her store that she doesn't share, she knew she couldn't keep this one to herself.

"I want people to feel good. I want people to understand you should give back," she explains.

But not even she could have imagined what that one TikTok post would inspire.

"The response is out of this world," she says. "People were in my comments, 'How can I donate? How can I give? How can I help the next girl?'"

Instead of making a big announcement, Lucille left a comment saying anybody interested could go to the store's website to buy gift cards. Since posting the video on Saturday, she says there's already been $12,000 worth of gift card purchases.

"That video did something because a lot of people, not just chubby girls, but a lot of people have really bad memories from prom, from high school. I think that's what moves people to want to give," she says.

RELATED: Teen Hosts Virtual Prom Focused on Mental Health to Make Students Feel Less Alone: 'I Am Them'

As for the teen? Well, she's just looking forward to going to prom in April.

"Shopping is usually pretty stressful for me, which is why I mostly shop online — but we were laughing the whole time," the 18-year-old high school student told Today in an interview.

"I feel beautiful in that dress," she added.

For Lucille, it's another mission accomplished.

"I just want people to know that this place is just a safe place for everybody," she tells PEOPLE. "No matter what your size, you are here on purpose and you have the right to be loved."