Trust and Honoring your Young Daughters

Moms and Dad's, it's important that you take your daughters to get fitted for a bra when the "time comes". When you find yourself in this position as a parent, it's important to understand teaching your young lady the proper way to be fitted, how a bra should fit her and care of her bra. A bra is not just a piece of fabric that covers her breasts; it helps support her and helps her look better in her clothes for overall personal esteem. Buying a bra at a big box store without a fitting is in my opinion, a no no. 80% EIGHTY PERCENT of us wear the wrong size bra so it's important to get fitted. When you take your daughter to get fitted, please remember this IMPORTANT RULE: NEVER, EVER, under any circumstances allow your child (yes, she is still a child!) to be measured, touched, or in a dressing room alone with an adult-any adult. That includes ME. If you and your daughter come into my boutique, I will honor your daughter and her body and insist you sit outside the dressing room and watch EVERY thing I do, because I may have to touch her in places to explain to her how her bra should be fitting and we know how uncomfortable it can be for a stranger to touch us, sometimes in places we are not used to. If a young lady comes in here under the age of 18 and wants to be fitted I will REFUSE this request. This is one of the few times that I will say the customer is NOT right. Please be sure to accompany your daughters for their fittings, one for their personal safety, and the other, to gain some knowledge for yourself so you will be equipped with the skills to help her choose a bra that is right for her body in the future.

I am, therefore, I blog!

I had a wonderful new customer by the name of Kristy come in to do a little shopping. She was very friendly, and was on a mission: She needed intimates. I pointed her in the direction of her side of the boutique and she commenced to picking out sleepwear, intimates.....lets just say she made some great choices. While she browsed, we talked like girlfriends (not that stuffy sales lady stuff. I just can't do it!) about girl things...you know, the specifics are confidential. Anyway, she mentioned she liked my blog and I felt guilty. I hadn't blogged in a WHILE! No need to go back and check my last entry. It's been a few months, I'm ashamed to say. I told her I appreciated her reading my blog and apologized in the same breath for not keeping up with it. It's hard sometimes to keep up with a blog, twitter, two Face Books, a boutique, custom greeting card orders (yes, I still do those for a favorite client of mine) a husband and a household. I will be working on doing better. Stay tuned.

Every Woman Counts

I spent probably one of the best hours yesterday with a couple at the boutique. When they came in, I could tell the woman really didn't want to be in here, but that her husband had insisted they come in. You see, she was a large woman, and the defeat on her face was larger than any hat in Texas. She refused to ask me, but her husband did. "She won't ask, but I will. Do you carry anything in my wife's size?" I had already sized up his wife the minute they walked in the door and I immediately said to her "No, ma'am, I don't carry your size in stock, but I have a catalog and few websites we could sit and visit and see if there isn't something that might work for you." I pulled up a website for plus sized women. They carry sizes up to a 6X, and she said she thought she'd feel comfortable in that size. She didn't find anything on the site that she really liked, so she mentioned she liked long gowns. I pulled out my Shirley of Hollywood catalog and told her that they do have some styles in the catalog that would work for her because they went up to a 6X. By this time, she had let her guard down and she, her husband and I were all giggling about "keeping it spicy" and the importance of intimacy in a relationship. She picked out this beautiful full length sleeping gown and robe set in plum, and I gave her the price and told her she could always pay half down and pay the rest off with layaway. We were both disappointed to find that the item was currently out of stock in the size and color she needed (So yes, she's not the only one). I asked her if she liked wearing caftans, and she said she did, and I told her that I usually don't order them for anyone but that it's something that she could still be comfortable in and feel pretty until the items she wanted were available and I'd be happy to order some for her.She thanked me and said "yes", and I could tell that I had made a friend. Before she left, she asked me about a bra, and I knew I did not have her size nor would I be able to get her one in stock that would be affordable, but I did give her the information for a place that I knew she could order them and get them at a reasonable price. Before the hour was over, she and her husband thanked me for their kindness and my patience with them and for making them feel welcome. I told them the pleasure was all mine and I thanked THEM for taking the chance and walking through the door and that EVERYONE is welcome. THIS is why I do what I do.

Bra Happiness

If you don't know what Bra Happiness is, you obviously have never either 1)worn a bra or 2)know what a bra is. Bra Happiness happens when you find a bra that FINALLY fits you and is comfortable enough to wear all day. It also helps your clothes look better, keeps you from looking like you have boob spillage. I call it having four boobs (MAJOR Felony, Ladies) and smooths out that "back fat" and eliminates Walrus Wiggle (that extra spillage you get on the sides of your breasts that makes you look like you've got two loaves of bread under your armpits for a later-in-the-day snack). Don't think, however, that just because you are part of the IBTC (Ittie-Bittie-Tittie-Committee) that you are immune to your own set of problems- molded cups that fit but add nothing to your fabulous outfit and make you look flat, cups with so much padding that the bra rides up on its own, (or worse yet, starts to devour your blouse from the top (eep!) padding that just isn't in the bra right and is just plain uncomfortable. No matter your breast size, you've struggled with bra issues, and many of us settle with the notion that we will just have to muddle through whatever is out there for us to wear. I recently had a client visit the boutique and unlike a lot of women I have helped, she was an A cup, was lean and tall, and very fashionable. Her biggest struggle is finding a bra that fits her that also compliments the clothes she wears and her very chic style. She wanted a little padding, but the bra she was wearing when she came in (Big Box Store) in my opinion just was not constructed in a way that is flattering to her body (or any body, for that matter). I'm all for padding, but some companies created their padded bras to lay on top of the breast, when *I* think, it should LIFT the breast. In other words, padding on the bottom of the bra, with a "shelf" for the breast to sit on and be showcased at the top, creating the illusion of a larger breast,just something to make the blouse look like something special, you know? Well anyway, I got miss A cup in a bra, and she really liked it, and she told me later after wearing it all day that she actually "forgot" she had it on. That's what a bra should do, ladies. It should make you feel and look like a million bucks without you stressing if it's eating your shirt or showing off your back fat. A proper fitting bra not only gives you a nicely shaped breast, it also gives you a waist. A proper fitting bra gives you Bra Happiness. Have you had Bra Happiness lately? Share your story! I'd love to hear it!

Moving into the e-commerce arena

Well, not really. What I mean is I've been selling lingerie online for some time now. It's been on a very limited scale, but I'm proud nonetheless. The only problem was I was selling on Facebook with their little shop widget, then with Lish, and it was *alright* but the problem was that my customers who did not have a Facebook account were really being inconvenienced by having to email me their order, then me bill them...way too much work for people I want to become regular customers. Everyone has been really wonderful, and VERY patient, and I thank you for that. I have finally figured out how to migrate my shop over to my blog, so guess what? you will all get the opportunity to not only shop in the privacy of your own home, but stay and visit with me a bit as I learn more and more about lingerie, women, men, intimacy, and myself. The "boutique" tab will take you my online shop, and I'll be adding new items daily. Please bear with me as most of you know that when I say this business is mom and pop, it's really mom and pop! We pretty much do it all ourselves. So if any of you computer programmers cringe when you see my shop or my blog for that matter, just mumble "bless her heart" and check back often. I promise it can only get better. If you have any questions, please contact me! I'm available via email. aphroditescloset@hotmail.com Until next time!

Aphrodite's Closet Opens

I never thought I'd own my own brick and mortar, and here I am, owning my lifelong dream of being my own boss. Spending the last 20 years of my adult life working corporate and switching gears at 46 can be scary. It was scary. Terrifying at times, even. But here I am, owning my own little slice of the American Dream and I have to admit, the pie tastes pretty good.

Why a lingerie boutique, you ask? There's Frederick's of Hollywood. There's Victoria's Secret. But there are SO MANY other lingerie suppliers that most of us have never heard of or cannot find in regular bog box stores. There's Dream Girls, Elegant Moments, Leg Avenue, Shirley of Hollywood, Just Sexy, Marilyn Monroe, Delta Burke, the list goes on. There's even a line based right in my home town, called Escante', and most San Antonian's don't even know that. I had no idea until I started my search for suppliers just how many lingerie manufacturers and companies there were. I thought it was Fred's or VS and that was it. Boy was I ever wrong.

In smaller and independent boutiques around the nation is where you find these relatively unknown brands. You will even find boutiques who sell lingerie made by independent designers. I mean BEAUTIFUL stuff, made with top of the line farics- silk. Real silk. Now, these couture pieces are not for the faint of wallet- but it's HANDMADE, you won't find a boutique carrying 300 pairs of the same silk panties. (You know how we women don't like knowing any woman who owns the same dress we have much less the same pair of panties!) It's not a mass produced kind of thing. It's a specialized target audience. And if you can snag a pair of luxury panties, please drop me a note and brag all you want. I promise I won't be mad at you. Just let me have my "haters gonna hate" moment and I'll get over it - eventually.

As for Aphrodite's Closet, I've decided I'm keeping my price points at this location at around $50, and will probably not carry anything over $75. I'm doing this because A) I want to make sure women who have limited income can still come in and purchase something nice for themselves without breaking the bank, and B) I want to be able to afford my own stuff when I want to buy something! (Kind of like Henry Ford's philosophy when he started) Hey, I don't pull things to take home and just write it off. I BUY it, with funds separate from the boutique. Besides, I HAVE to represent, even if the only people seeing me in my pretty lace teddy is my husband and myself.

We currently carry many of the brands mentioned above - Dream Girls, Elegant Moments, Leg Avenue Hosiery, Just Sexy, Marilyn Monroe (one of my faves) as well as Gina Intimates, Affinitas, Paris Pink, Rene Rofe', Ornella, and of course Escante. I love Escante's 2012 line. Their Tessa Classics Corset Line is fabulous. Just fabulous. I most likely will not be carrying anything in the boutique that's over $50 as regular inventory, but will be more than happy to order any item over that dollar amount as a special order item. I'm really sticking to my guns on this $50-$75 price point. Prices are more than fair and competitively priced, and I'm proud that no customer has ever said "your prices are too high!" I've basically gotten "THAT'S ALL FOR THIS?!" Affordable lingerie doesn't have to be cheap or skimp on quality, and just because I don't have an authentic (or fake, for that matter) Prada bag full of cash doesn't mean I don't deserve a few silky, sexy, satiny treats for myself. A poor girl's gotta get her groove on too!

Half of our boutitue is dedicated to the Plus Size Goddess- and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a Plus Sized Goddess myself. The best reward I've gotten since opening is the literal SQUEAL of delight when a PSG realizes she doesn't have to turn around and walk out the door because I have nothing to fit her. I have a great selection of Plus Sized Pretties, currently going to 4X. Panties, Bras, Thongs, Baby Dolls, and more. I'm also in the process of carrying another line from Shirley of Hollywood. Their plus size selections are nothing short of glorious, and they use real Plus Sized models for their photo shoots, not blown up and photo shopped photos of the skinny models. I love how they are keeping it real and celebrating the full figured woman.

Now if you are wondering where in San Antonio we are located, you can find us on the North East side of town, down where Walzem Road meets Montgomery Drive. Our address is 6060 Montgomery Drive, Suite 116, San Antonio, TX Our hours of operation are Monday 12-5, Tues-Sat, 10am-8pm, and as for Sunday, if Mr. Chick-Fil-A can run a successful business without being open on Sunday, so can I. Our business number is 210-590-7796, so if you have any questions, would like to book an appointment or an in-house lingerie party, ring me!