Submitted by Patti Hartlove Platt, owner, à la mode Intimates in Annapolis, Maryland
In French, à la mode means “in the fashion,” and I believe every woman should have the opportunity to feel beautiful and stylish in all her fashions. Before launching à la mode, I struggled to find bras that fit, and the few times that I did, they weren’t exactly pretty. So, I set out to find beautiful bras for women of different … Read More
Submitted by Judith Fine, owner of Gazebo in Northhampton, Massachusetts
Gazebo started in 1978 after I had been designing nontraditional bridal gowns from my home for several years. At Gazebo’s beginning, every item was made by me using silks and vintage laces. The late 70’s were the beginning of lingerie’s resurgence We had finished burning our bras and were now embracing our femininity. I was also wholesaling my own designs through Ellen and Sylvia, an … Read More
Submitted by Kelly O’Brian, owner of Linger Lingerie in Spring Lake, N.J.
My mom grew up in an orphanage where they weren’t allowed to say the word “bra” because it was considered indelicate. They were referred to as “brays” – yes, the sound a donkey makes. My sister and I are still laughing about the fact we sell brays.
But for my first First Holy Communion, my mom bought me a fancy pair of panties … Read More
Submitted by Jennifer Cermak, owner of Nani Nalu Beachwear Boutique in Edina, MN
I too, have cried and verbalized self-pity alone in a fitting room with piles of swimsuits that covered too little or looked too horrid. I have been there, that dark and scary ‘I hate swimsuits’ and by default ‘I hate my body’ place. After 10 years in the swim industry working for others yet struggling to find a great fit myself, I … Read More
Submitted by Brenda Meadows, owner
of The Lingerie Shoppe in Birmingham, AL
I had been involved in a lot of volunteer work when my children were young. I supported two major groups with my time, raising money to sustain the Alabama Symphony and then with a local group to aid children with hearing disabilities. I also did work with my church. After years of volunteering, a good friend and I decided that we should look … Read More
Submitted by Angela Courtney, owner of Sweetest Sin
Boutique in Red Bank, New Jersey
I always knew I would own a business, I come from a line of small business owners and that passion & drive was instilled in me. While putting myself through school I worked in a lingerie boutique & just fell in love with the industry & helping women. Plus I love pretty lingerie….what girl doesn’t?! It all just came together and … Read More
Submitted by April Burch, Ph.D (aka Dr. Cleavage), Co-Owner of Great Barrington Bra & Girl in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Bra & Girl began as the “bottle of wine idea”. When I would come home from work as a Research
Scientist bemoaning the challenges of grant funding and publication, my husband would say: “Tell me what you would do if you we’re not in science?”. I would always say “I’d have a pretty little lingerie store … Read More