Self-confidence in Every Cup
Kim Turre often gets asked why she opened a bra store. Her answer, "I experienced the difference a proper fitting bra can make in a woman's self-confidence and I wanted to help women of all shapes, sizes and ages experience that difference."
Kim went to a small school in Halkirk, Alberta where she was one of two girls in a class of seven. "I can remember, plain as day, when we had our first sex-education class in grade four. Our teacher explained what happens to girl's bodies as they mature. The other girls stared at me as the teacher described the signs of puberty. I was nine when I learned about feminine products and kept it a secret from my best friends. As all the girls stared at me I was utterly mortified. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. I may as well have announced from the roof top for all to hear that I had hit puberty. I was so angry with my teacher for telling everyone my secret," Kim confided.
At age 15 she went to the city for her first bra fitting. "It was a foreign concept to me. Was a woman the same age as my mom or grandma going to come into the fitting room with me? Is she going to make me wear an ‘old lady bra'? Is she going to see me naked? I had the same fears then as many of our customers have now," said Kim.
During that visit Kim was shocked to find out she was a G cup instead of the Double-D cup she thought she was. But after getting over the shock and finding a proper fitting bra she walked out of the fitting room with a new sense of self confidence. "I felt pretty instead of embarrassed or ashamed about my body. I finally felt normal!"
"Through my own bra fitting experience I learned firsthand the honest to goodness power of proper fitting undergarments. I also learned the power of PRETTY undergarments! I truly believe there is nothing in life that makes you feel more beautiful or more feminine than wearing something that makes you walk with a bounce in your step, and how satisfying is it to wear it just for you," she explained.
Kim opened Bra Necessities in 2010. "I wanted to help women of all ages realize their true beauty. Just the way they are at that moment. Not 5, 10, or 15 pounds lighter. Not after a breast reduction. Not after comparing themselves to the woman beside them or the celebrity in the magazine, but beautiful, just as they are right now." Kim continued, "There is a sense of power that comes from accepting yourself for the woman you are instead of wishing you were like someone else, and it's my goal to help women realize that through the products and services we offer."
The best piece of business advice Kim's received, "Hire-Slow, Fire-Fast. Your employees are the front lines representing your business on a day-to-day basis. It's too important to blow that first impression with an employee who is not committed to their job," she said without hesitation.
ABOUT KIM
Kim owns Bra Necessities in Camrose, Alberta. She was nominated by the Camrose Chamber of Commerce for the Small Business of the Year award. She is a director for the Camrose Chamber of Commerce, a committee member for the Celebrating Women's Conference, a member of Camrose City Center and Tourism Camrose. She also serves as a member of the Rural Alberta Business Centre advisory committee.
Written By: Kim Turre
