Business notebook: Bra shop aims for a good fit in Cape

Catherine Burns said when her grandmother had a mastectomy in 1968, there weren't many options.

"There was nothing," she said. "Back then, you had two kinds of prosthetics available."

She said there now are stores such as the Ann's Bra Shop she opened on South Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau that cater to women who have had mastectomies.

"Back then, they didn't talk about it," she said. "You didn't say 'breast cancer.' You didn't say 'breast.'"

More women now are surviving breast cancer, and the public has become more engaged and aware of the disease and the issues it creates.

"I think a lot of it has been the cure-rate increase," she said, but added: "There still aren't a lot of true mastectomy centers."

After opening three stores in St. Louis, Burns said the Cape Girardeau location, which opened in late January, was a logical next step toward her larger goal.

"I want to open up a bra shop in every major metropolis in the United States," she said, because the need for well-fitting bras is "terribly overlooked."

To address that need, her store carries dozens of options for women who, like Burns herself, have survived breast cancer.

"And it's not just mastectomies," she said. "It's plus-sized bras, too. With these two concepts, I think it's a win-win situation in one store."

Burns said the business also provide fitting services, because every woman has individual needs.

"I can't really even describe it," she said. "Go to a sporting event and look around at the women around you. There are thousands of body types and body shapes."

She said a fitting can take anywhere from two to 20 minutes.

"But we'll take as long as needed with every customer to provide them with exactly what they want. We're not a durable medical-equipment store," she said. "We're a women's store. We're a woman's place for women's products."

Southeast Missourian wins honors

Semoball and Rust Communications earned second place in the Local Media Association Digital Innovation Awards for best use of video, all classes combined.

The Local Media Association contest included more than 80 companies from around the nation.

The Southeast Missourian and Rust Communications also earned second place for best native advertising or sponsored-content campaign for their work on the "Life Without" series.

Business licenses

America's Best Portable Buildings applied for a business license at 1318 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The portable storage-building business is scheduled to open Wednesday.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627