A Very Hard Post to Share

It is with heavy hearts that Cortney and I announce the end of The Bra Lounge era.

We have moved through every emotion, from devastation and regret to acceptance and peace. We have given this business everything we could for almost 18 years. We devoted so much of our emotional and physical capacity to each client and every staff member that passed through our doors. Our personal lives sat on the back burner to try to ensure the longevity of the business. We learned very quickly that we ARE our business, clients ask for us day after day, suppliers want to speak to us about inventory decisions, other business owners ask for us to collaborate. Although we were honoured, it weighed heavy on the days we had sick kids or when our husbands begged us to take time off together during the summer. These were simply not things we could just do, especially at the same time.

We have always tried to present ourselves with integrity and transparency, so we want to share some realities with you which contributed to this decision.

We went into the pandemic confident we could survive, being a well established business with a strong clientele already. But 4 years on, we are utterly exhausted. It’s almost harder now than it was. While we wouldn’t have survived this long without the huge number of women who have fiercely supported us over the last almost 2 decades, recently interactions with newer clients have never been worse. We have clients angry with us over colours they want that we don’t have, lengthy shipping times and higher prices. They request we special order things for them, and then decide not to take them or tell us they got them somewhere else. More and more often people comment in the fitting rooms that if we don’t have the colour they want they will just get it online, after we’ve given the now free service of helping them find their size and preferred style. We have a huge number of wonderful, loyal customers who still appreciate every little thing we do, however more and more often we are seeing customers who expect far more from us than we can offer.

The sad truth? One of our staff members left us this fall because of the way she has been treated recently. She has been told she couldn’t possibly understand another woman’s needs because her body didn’t look the same. She has been scoffed at because people thought she looked younger than she is. The peak came when she was yelled at on the phone 3 times by the same customer who was mad her bra hadn’t arrived yet, who then demanded a phone call with the owner, only to say “Oh I completely understand! Thanks for the phone call!” It has been maddening and heartbreaking.

Today, budgets are tighter than ever, at home and in business. We tried to adjust and source lower priced products, but people want their bras to last years and that’s not what happens when things are cheaper, even when they fit great. Gals expect lower priced items to feel and last the way their higher cost items did, and they are frustrated with us when they don’t. 

We want to share that we spent a month in discussion with another boutique to take over, but sadly that deal fell through. Honestly, we're not surprised, because niche retail has very unique challenges and expanding right now is pretty risky. We appreciate so much that these business owners tried very hard to make something work for the best interests of themselves, us, and the Red Deer community. We desperately wanted these services to continue, but everything happens for a reason. 

Even as I write this with a sad heart, it is clear this is the right decision. We’ve been pouring from empty cups for a long time and it’s time for change. We have unending gratitude for the journey and all who joined us on it. We have so many wonderful memories, we’ve had so many laughs and we’ve shared countless special moments with our clients and our staff. We feel great about the Bra Lounge story. There is nothing we would change! The connections made are real. The heartfelt compassion felt in the fitting rooms over the years was real. We were so inspired by the life of our Mom and we wanted to make sure hard working women and selfless Mother’s like her felt comfortable and supported through their lives – and we did! We came in as kids, 23 and 25 years old, and we’re making our exit as completely different women. We were shaped by this business and the people and experiences it brought into our lives. There is absolutely nothing we would go back to do differently.

Many have asked what we’re doing next - and that’s a loaded question! We hope to goodness we get some time to clear our heads and hearts before we have to forge ahead again. When we do, we’ll be supporting our husbands with their businesses for a change, deep cleaning our houses (maybe), and fitting a lot more time in with our kids. And when we get together just as sisters again, we will not be spending our time talking about boobs and financial statements! FINALLY! Although bittersweet, we are very ready to embrace the change. 

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your part in this journey. We take nothing but the best away from it and we’ve allowed every part of it to mold us into better versions of ourselves. Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but thank you. For everything. 

And because we wont have a platform to share this message anymore… please support small businesses every single time you can. And please, please be kind to people in service. It really matters.

IF YOU HAVE GIFT CARDS OR CREDITS - GET IN ASAP! We will spend December clearing out stock. We are no longer receiving orders. If you have questions or concerns, please come in personally or call 403-347-3774. We are not able to manage these inquires through messages.

Thank you for the magic, with love from The Bra Lounge Girls 💜