Northwest Bras
Location: 22 Mill Road, Sequim
Phone: 461-4377
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday;
Mondays private fittings for 3 or more; call to schedule.
Northwest Bras, formerly Project Scrubs/Project Bras, has more a accessible location, an expanded inventory and post-mastectomy bra/prosthesis fitting services along with its new name.
Owners Sarah Nightingale and Evan Schroder purchased half of the business from Nightingale’s sister Racheal Alton in July and opened soon thereafter on Mill Road in Sequim.
“The bra part of the of the business really took off,” Nightingale said, crediting an article in the Sequim Gazette from Oct. 1, 2014, and word of mouth. With the number of customers increasing, it made sense to dedicate her years of bra fitting skills to a separate, more intimate shop.
“We’ve probably doubled our inventory. I tell people, if we don’t have your size, probably nobody has it. We have a huge, huge selection that starts with size 28-AA up to 52-O (band/cup size),” Nightingale said. “We will not put a customer in the wrong size bra to make the sale. If I don’t have it, I can get it for you.”
An estimated 8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong bra size and are doing it some 18 hours a day. A poorly fitting bra “can ruin your entire day,” Nightingale noted, causing neck and shoulder pain plus a slouching posture. She nodded knowingly, after hearing the frustration of dozens of women who venture into her shop in search for a comfortable bra.
“Nobody likes to go bra shopping, you know. The hardest part for any woman is just walking through the door. They have had so many bad experiences — we all can relate to that,” Nightingale said. “It takes a lot of courage or desperation to walk through the door but you won’t regret it.”
There are two bedroom-sized dressing rooms, with the smaller bra sizes in one and the larger sizes in the other for privacy. Customers are welcome to try on several recommended styles with or without a knowledgeable staff member in the room.
“We have so many options and everybody here listens to what the customer is saying (about comfort). We’re sensitive to the needs of the customer,” Nightingale said. “We assist you in getting fitted with multiple choices and we become your personal stylist at that point,” she said.
“And it’s not all about vanity — it’s about supporting your breast tissue. When you get the right one on it’s unbelievable. First, you notice you’re standing with your shoulders back because the bra is pulling the breast weight up and off your ribs,” Nightingale said.
“When you get in a right-fitting bra, it alleviates back and neck pain because you’re not rolling your shoulders forward.”
Nightingale said she especially likes correcting large breasted women’s medical issues such as under-breast rashes and yeast caused by trapped moisture by putting them in bras that raise their breasts off their rib cages.
Post-mastectomy care
If fitting a bra with both breasts is a sensitive issue, then fitting one for a women with a single or double mastectomy is even more so.
That’s why Nightingale added post-mastectomy bras and the prostheses that that go in them for a natural looking appearance. Soon Northwest Bras will be accredited in their specialized fitting and will be able to bill insurance companies, including Medicaid, for them.
“Patients have had to drive to Nordstrom’s in Seattle so I’m excited to do that here,” Nightingale said.
Holding up a prosthesis weighing about 3 pounds, she explained that with a woman who’s had one breast removed, it’s important to have the prosthesis the same weight as the remaining breast so as to not cause a shifting to either side. “Breast tissue is much heavier than people think — the average women wears a 36DD and that’s 5-7 pounds.”
She’s also added a line of swimming suits, classic lingerie and a large selection of maternity and nursing bras. She even has a bra that is “self-closing” with magnets in the front for women with arthritis in their hands and/or shoulders or other physical limitations.
Free the Girls project flourishes
As with Project Bras, Nightingale continues to embrace Free the Girls, a hand-up, not a hand-out program that sends donated bras to women freed from sex traffic in Third World countries so they can sell them and make some money for themselves.
The response from local women — and men — has been fantastic, Nightingale said. She nearly has 1,000 bras in a dozen boxes ready to ship to sponsor Project Purpose.
Nightingale admitted she was emotionally touched when an older widower donated the bras of his recently deceased wife because he wanted to do something that was personal with them — something that would have meant something to her.
“It’s awesome that we’re able to help people,” Nightingale said, adding that she’s given some of the donated bras to foster families.
Donations still are being accepted for the project.
For comfort
In addition to Nightingale, Northwest Bras has four part-time employees, all trained in fitting bras properly.
She acknowledges that her bras are an investment, compared to discount store brands, but asks what price would you pay for true comfort?
“Let’s make it as comfortable and enjoyable as possible — bras are the foundation of your wardrobe.”
Nightingale said if you’re fidgeting and fiddling with your bra, stop in for a personalized fitting. She’s sure your body will thank you.
Reach Patricia Morrison Coate at pcoate@sequimgazette.com.
