Top Drawer Finds the Right Fit

Most women (85 percent according to studies) are wearing the wrong size bra. That fact alone is driving business at Top Drawer Lingerie, which has busted out by providing individual bra fittings. After only a year and a half in business, the Exeter store has not only cultivated a loyal clientele in NH, but has customers from as far away as Texas and Alaska.

The bra-fitting service accounts for about 70 percent of the shop's business, according to co-owner Deanna Tinios. "We have become a destination store," she says.

Deborah Robb, Timos' business partner, says the idea to open the business came out of a frustrating look through a bevy of bras. "Being two women in our 40s, we couldn't find what we were looking for, so our next question to all of our friends was, 'Are you having a hard time finding gear not aimed at girls going to Victoria's Secret?' " she says. Top Drawer carries sizes ranging from 30AA to 48G, as well as several exclusive brands such as Aubade, Le Mystere and Hanro of Switzerland. However, it is the fact that customers can find a salesperson willing to spend time with them to find the perfect fit that is driving the shop's success.

"[Elsewhere], you're just weeding through the merchandise trying to find [what you need]. It's not a fun experience. We'll get girls who are 32F and they don't want a grandma bra. And we have the 44Bs, too," Robb says.

Business is so good that the pair has difficulty staying stocked. They make frequent buying trips to New York City and are sussing out options for adding additional fitting rooms and more staff. "We're much further along than we thought we'd be," Tinios says. The business is listed on www.myintimacy.com, a national directory of bra-fitting specialists recommended by Susan Nethro, the bra fitting guru who appears on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. The women have even mentored other businesswomen. "I think women have to help each other out," Robb says. Adds Tinios, "It was amazing how many people didn't support us. They said, 'You're women. You have children.' But we did our homework." Now their cups runneth over.