Turning dreams into reality: Cindy Taylor operates a Sikeston shop with one goal: to help all women feel beautiful in the spotlight

In a redbrick building one block off East Malone Avenue in Sikeston, Missouri, Cindy Taylor greets shoppers looking for dresses, home furnishings, wedding decorations -- and community. Her store is busy on a Wednesday afternoon, with women and girls shopping for dresses in the back of the shop, while in the front, customers pick out home decor items, examine furniture and look through newly-donated items.

"We try to help people however we can," Taylor says, nodding to a shopper. "This community means a lot to us."

Taylor takes donations of dresses and home furnishings from people who hear about her store, called Dreams 2 Reality, and also scours yard sales and thrift stores for good finds.

"It's all word-of-mouth right now," she says, adding that the store's Facebook page has been a great source of people looking to make donations.

Kelby Roberson shops for a dress at Dreams 2 Reality in Sikeston, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

Kelby Roberson shops for a dress at Dreams 2 Reality in Sikeston, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

The venture started in 2010, when Taylor needed to find a prom dress for a young lady she had met at Sikeston's skate park. Taylor wanted to help, but she wasn't sure how she would afford it, so she prayed about it.

Dreams 2 Reality Wednesday, April 8, 2016 in Sikeston.Glenn Landberg

"Then there was a knock at my door one day -- a person standing there asked, 'Are you the dress lady?'", Taylor recalls now with a laugh. "I didn't think I was, but she insisted. So I took the donation and I started with 10 dresses and three racks in my dining room."

By March of the next year, she had 500 dresses; by June, almost 1,000.

In 2014, Dreams 2 Reality moved into its first location outside Taylor's house. They've since had to move to a bigger location to accommodate the business. Today, a few aisles of thrift items fill the front of the store, a seating area in the middle has comfortable couches and side tables, and the back of the store is all about racks of dresses.

Proceeds from items sold go toward Taylor's mission to dress the women and girls who come in for help.

"Coming from a small town, and being raised as a 'welfare child,' a nobody -- my dream was to make sure that somehow, some way, if I could help one girl feel important feel loved, feel beautiful and not have the fear of being poor like I was, then I would do whatever God says for me to do," Taylor says.

By line:Cindy Taylor, owner of Dreams 2 Reality, works with a customer in Sikeston, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

Taylor feels she has accomplished her goal in life, and believes very strongly that every girl, no matter her situation, should feel beautiful in the spotlight.

Dreams 2 Reality Wednesday, April 8, 2016 in Sikeston.Glenn Landberg

"We carry everything from newborn to 3X," she says. The shop carries some men's suits and tuxes as well, but their main focus is the dresses. "We do mostly formalwear for dances and pageants," she says, adding, "Bridal gowns aren't what we do so much anymore. But we try to outfit the girls from head to toe, whatever they need. We try to make it happen for them."

Taylor adds that they have dresses for prom, any kind of dance recital or competition, bridesmaids or mother of the bride, flower girls or pageants. They've also worked with local theater companies to provide wardrobe pieces.

Taylor says her focus is on giving people a wonderful experience and taking some of the worry out of the dress-buying process. She explains that they don't sell shoes or hair accessories, but she does keep some on hand. She also has an arrangement with a beautician friend for girls and young women who otherwise might not be able to afford her services.

While the dresses are for sale, Taylor also has a rental service. Fees are based on a sliding scale determined by income, and Taylor requires proof of income and photo identification on file for her clients.

Kelby Roberson shops for a dress at Dreams 2 Reality Wednesday, April 8, 2016 in Sikeston.Glenn Landberg

"I've had a lot of repeat business," she says. "Over the years, I've seen girls go from their first formal, freshman year to senior year, wedding -- they even bring their babies in to see me. It's been so great, seeing them over and over throughout their lives."

Dreams 2 Reality has several fundraising ventures that, Taylor explains, are geared toward bringing people together and keeping the community involved in what she does. Dreams 2 Reality has sponsored a dress expo at the Sikeston VFW Hall each month this year, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Taylor holds a twice-weekly auction on Dreams 2 Reality's Facebook page, where bidders vie for interesting pieces that come into the shop.

"We have a modeling show once a year, with a runway for our models and a professional photographer," she says. Their annual Christmas party sees 15 to 20 children meeting Santa and having refreshments.

"We're always expanding, always looking for ways to build the community and raise funds to get more dresses, help more people," Taylor says.