A walk through Ann’s Dress Shop is enticing for anyone with an interest in vintage clothing. Wedding dresses, dating back to 1870, and fox and mink stoles abound at Ann’s. Included in the dress displays are four generations of wedding dresses from the Geiger family and a tuxedo and wedding dress from 1915 worn by Oscar and Caroline Olson, the parents of Lorraine Olson Tveter. Quite likely the most intriguing display at Ann’s Dress Shop is a number of swimsuits from the 1920’s and a grouping of flapper dresses from the same era.

The Dress Shop is home to an extensive doll collection inherited by JoAnn Emmel from her aunt, Marie Dickerson. Marie was the president of the Old Dominion Doll and Toy Club of Alexandria, Virginia. Hats, hats, hats, and more hats from the Funk Family of Bowbells, along with others are showcased. A lovely wedding dress made by Harriet Lang Rasmussen, the mother of Margaret Pedersen, for her wedding on February 14, 1948 is also featured. It was later worn by Margaret’s two daughters, Janet Pedersen Rhoads and Jean Pedersen Quigley. Other displays include three pump organs, an Ann’s Dress Shop display case, a room of women’s lingerie, embroidered items too numerous to mention, and a rocking chair from Tolef Rasmusson. The dress shop helps you imagine what it was like to outfit yourself long ago, even for such monumental occasions as your wedding day.