It used to be everything prom, bridal, quinceanera, said Flores, whose mother has worked as a seamstress on 26th Street for years. But then as time passed, it just started to be more quinceaneras.

Flores said brides have options outside Little Village:larger shops, discount stores, national chains. But if youre looking for the perfect quinceanera dress thatpuffy, bedazzled gownthat signifiesfor many Latin American families a teenage girls transition from childhood to young womanhood at age 15 Little Village is the place to be.

Quinceanera shops are a big anchor to this community, di Paolo said. People come here just for that. On weekends, the vast majority of the people around, people from the outside, came here for the bridal stores, for the quinceanera stores.

And while theyre shopping, they go eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, he continued. They go shopping for that unique item that reminds people of home [Mexico] the Coca-Cola in the bottle. Or going to see the local butcher to get meat exactly like you want it, not prepackaged.

^{Princess Paradise, 3235 W. 26th St.}

Ana Marin, a sales associate forPrincess Paradise at 3235 W. 26th St., said most of her customers come from outofstate. Just recently, she had a 15-year-old girl and her mother fly in from Nebraska.

On Thursday, she had her first fitting, Marin said, and she knows we can offer one-day alteration services. So she does her fitting, hasher alterations done and can go back to Nebraska with her dressby Monday.Those who cant stay as longopt to have their dresses shipped.

Marin said the boutique, which focuses on designer gowns fromMori Lee and Marys Bridal, sells dress and accessory packages that run upwards of $1,500. People start shopping a year in advance and can pay in installments.

Abigail Cardenas, a 15-year-old from Hoffman Estates, has been dreaming of her own quinceanera since she first attended one at the age of 10.

I remember the dress and how beautiful she looked, Cardenas saidduring a recent fitting at Alborada Bridal.

The teen distinctly remembers visiting Little Village with her family as achild and staring into the windows at the colorful dresses that lined many 26th Street storefronts. When her father gave Cardenasthe option of money or a quinceanera, it was a no-brainer.

You only turn 15 once, Abigail said.

^{Abigail Cardenas trying on a quinceanera dress.[DNAinfo/Mauricio Pena]}

In February, sheand her mother, Maria Ortega-Cardenas, 40, made the first of many80-minute drives to 26th Street,going from shop to shop in search ofthe perfect dress. On their second trip, Abigail settled on a mint green gownfrom Alborada.

As the family puts the finishing touches onthe July 16 party, hermother estimated the total cost of the quinceanera will beupwards of $15,000 to $20,000. Despite the cost, Ortega-Cardenassaid the symbolism and what the quinceanera represents is worth it.

The huge, puffy dresses goes back to the Spanish conquest, where daughters were being introduced to communities as women in extravagant and fluffy dresses, saidGema Alamillo, who has been a saleswoman atDelaneys Bridalsince 2011.

That has been carried over and remains a steadfast tradition for Mexican families, as well as some Puerto Ricanand Ecuadorian families, Alamillo said.

Alamillo has seen customers travel to Little Village from as far as Canada.

At Delaneys, a narrow shop at 3744 W. 26th St., quinceaneradresses rangefrom $500 to $850. Two blocks down, insideAlborada, youll find gowns that cost anywhere from $550 to $2,200. And those prices dont include accessories, such as tiaras, shoes, signature books and pillows. These easily can run anextra $1,000.

People pay as much attention to quinceaneras as weddings, Flores said.

Last year, she and her husband launched Alborada magazine, an English-language project thats published three times a year.

A lot of people would come in our store and ask us: Do you know a DJ? Do you know a makeup person? Flores said. So we came up with this as a guide.

While Flores declined to share sales figures, she said Alboradas sales have increased every single year since she bought the shop in 2006. And she doesnt anticipate those numbers dropping anytime soon.

The Hispanic community is very young, di Paolo said. A lot of girls are turning 15 more than are getting married.

Alamillo, whos been working as a saleswoman at quinceanera shops on 26th Streetsince 2007, said storessee a slowdown in purchases as the weather gets colder, typically from October to January. But things pick back up in spring.

During the summer months, we make anywhere from 20 to 30 dress sales each day during weekends, Alamillo said. Its a huge tradition, and I dont see it going anywhere.

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