Name: Rochelle Arias, owner

Business name: Dress You Up Formals, 401 Belmont Drive, Suite D, Warner Robins, (478) 228-3043

How long have you been in business?: Since September 2009. After she went to a midstate bridal store to look for a dress to wear in a wedding and “was treated badly,” Arias began researching the industry in 2005 and made a lot of contacts before deciding to open her own business.

What do you like best about your job?: “I like dressing people,” she said. “Dresses sell themselves ... but what you can’t buy is service. ... If we take a little time, and you give (the customer) a little education about their own body, searching for a dress would not be so hard. I actually enjoy what I do.”

What is your specialty?: The store sells formal dresses for all occasions, from girl sizes to adults, tuxedo rentals, shoes, jewelry, handbags, crowns and tiaras. Dress sizes run from zero to 30. It draws customers from all over the midstate and beyond. “Seventy percent of my business is from outside Houston County,” she said.

What are your future plans?: “My future plan is to eventually expand. I’m actually looking to expand into an entire strip mall,” she said.

-- Linda S. Morris