"When I was going to school formals, Mum and I had to drive up to Christchurch to find dresses. We had nothing around here," she said.
That was what inspired her to open Cheri Formal Wear in The Mall, Cromwell.
Miss Anderson-Hamlin (19) said it took "a bit of time" to draw up a business plan and find the right premises but was finally able to open the doors in January this year, six months after she started planning.
Her mother, who also owns and runs Prenzel in the Alps, is her business partner.
"Mum takes care of the accounts and stuff but we both choose the dresses. It is good to get both perspectives, because she knows the older market and I know the younger.
"It is more than I expected. I thought it would take ages to get off the ground but the community has been really supportive. Word of mouth has been really good for us."
She said she had not considered a career in business before.
"Eventually, I want to do nursing but I wasn't quite ready to do another three to four years of school ... If this business takes off then I probably won't do nursing," she said.
"My teachers at school thought I was crazy but now they have said they can't believe how well it has taken off."
Some people were sceptical about the business, but other were supportive and said the shop was an asset to the town.
"We have seen lots of girls come from other towns like Gore to buy our dresses."
She said only one of each dress was stocked: "You don't want to turn up at your ball and see your dress everywhere."
Miss Anderson-Hamlin said she and her mother regularly travelled to Auckland to select stock. Their goal was to travel to Sydney to pick dresses.
Her long-term plan was to get the shop up and running then get someone in to run the store so she could study.
