On this blog you’ll notice that I will always include a link to where you can buy the products that I feature, just to make life a bit easier. I usually just search for a big online retailer who stocks the product in a large size range so that you’ll be most likely to be able to pick one up. I’ll admit that, from an independent retailer’s perspective, this isn’t always the best approach to take. Independent retailers tend to focus heavily on the in store experience. Many don’t have a website, either because they want to focus on women coming into the store and having a fitting with a real expert, or because, let’s face it, not every small business has the capacity to operate as an online retailer, let alone compete with the likes of Figleaves and Debenhams.
That being said, there really is nothing better than stepping foot into a specialist store, probably only a few metres squared, stacked floor to ceiling with beautiful, painstakingly hand selected lingerie sets which have been chosen based on years of experience fitting women of all ages, shapes and sizes. It’s stores like that where I find I leave the happiest, with a smile on my face as I know I’ve been given great service by someone who really cares about fitting lingerie, and they really know their stuff. It always made me sad that I hadn’t found a store like this anywhere near where I live and when my friends and family asked me “where’s good to get fitted in Bournemouth?” I’d begrudgingly reply: “not really anywhere”. Until now.
I have always wanted to pop to the Westbourne district of Bournemouth but had never made the time until this weekend. It was when I was patrolling through the streets lined with boutique shops and independent cafes and restaurants that I happened across Mabel & Jacks. It’s a sweet little store, although it has to be said I very nearly walked straight past it, unaware of what lay behind the large shop window with a display dedicated to nightwear. It was only by chance that I popped into the restaurant next door, Circo Lounge, for lunch, that I stopped long enough to even notice that it was a lingerie store. When I popped my head inside, quite excitedly, I was taken aback my the sheer volume of bra sets and bikinis stacked up along the walls of this relatively small little shop.
It’s amazing, it has to be said, how nice it is to enter a store and be greeted with a “Can I help you at all?”. They had household names such as Triumph, Wonderbra, Freya, Fantasie, Charnos and Lepel, as well as more Pour Moi than I’d ever seen before. Pour Moi are an interesting brand, one that I’ve had limited exposure to and that you rarely see in larger department stores for some reason. It was great to see so many of their range in one place, and I was buzzing to give some a try. They come in a broad array of fun shades like spearmint, powder pink and cherry to name a few. They’re really reasonable in price too; it was amazing to see a bra selling for £22 and that’s at full price. It seems like a really fair deal next to the likes of Fantasie which sell for at least £10 more. A budget brand but not at all poor in quality, fit or design – what’s not to like?
The kind shop lady helped me with my armful of -mainly Pour Moi – bra sets into the changing room and gave me a really personal, one to one fitting experience. She allowed me to try on some sizes which I thought might fit, and offered help and opinions on improvements which could be made, either a band size up here or a cup size down there – whatever it took to get the optimal fit in each set. When she’d finished with me she’d successfully turned me from an inquisitive browser into spending rather a lot of money on some gorgeous and expertly fitted Pour Moi sets – so keep your eyes peeled for some bra reviews on those very soon!
More than anything though, I’m elated to have finally found a lingerie store in my local area which caters to my bra size, with pretty, affordable bras which I can try on for size without having to order a shed load from a huge corporate company and end up sending most of them back. It felt good to leave that store with a bag full of goodies knowing that I had supported a small, local business. And that, along with the service I received and product choice that was on offer, will keep me returning to Mabel & Jacks again and again. Do you have an independent lingerie boutique near you? If so, what are they called and do you recommend them?
