We have one of those customers who comes in often – I’d say once every other month or so – and has purchased several bras from us. She’s one of those sizes that isn’t easy to find out there in the bra shopping world. If cup size is a bell curve, she’s on the far right end.
She’s really never had a bra that has fit her before. I’m pretty darn sure she hasn’t bought a bra anyplace else in the three and a half years that this little bra shop in Manchester, Vermont has been open. She’s constantly bringing friends and family in: a client, a neighbor, a sister, a cousin, a daughter, another daughter, a sister-in-law, a mother-in law. She’s exemplifies “word-of-mouth.” This is a customer you dream about.
She brought in her mother-in-law….let’s call her “B”…about a year ago now. B was sunshine. I could tell right away by her aura – B was positive, inquisitive, and at the age of, I don’t know…80?…up for getting her first bra fitting. B found a bra she loved so much so that she put on her shirt, opened the fitting room door, and stepped out into the shop to show her granddaughter. It was adorable. I swear she might have put her hands on her hips and vogued.
B didn’t buy the bra that day saying she’d think about it. We weren’t offended. We knew she had a good time, learned a thing or two, and felt good in a bra for perhaps the first time in her life. B had found some joy that day. We kept her style and size on record. Her daughter-in-law, being the customer she is, called us a few days later and asked us to gift wrap it. It would be a touching story even if it just ended there.
B passed away a month or two ago. Her daughter and daughter-in-law were the ones who decided what she’d be buried in. Choosing between the lovely dresses in B’s closet wasn’t easy, but there was no question about what was going to remain eternal underneath. “She loved her bra,” one said to the other.
Rest in peace, B.
Rest in joy.
Amen.
Joy Slusarek is the owner of JOY all things underthings in Manchester Center, Vermont and author of the Joy on JOY Blog. Featuring full-service bra fitting, sleepwear, robes, bridal foundations, and lingerie, JOY has a mission to help women find their joy from the inside out.
