With the closure of businesses such as JCPenney and Kmart, the option of finding a properly fitted bra and other intimate apparel locally has become increasingly slim over the last several years. But with the recent opening of Les Dalles Boutique, a woman’s intimate apparel shop owned and operated by The Dalles native Nicole Cowart, you can find your perfect fit right here in The Dalles.
Having worked formerly as a certified mastectomy fitter — someone who fits people who have experienced breast cancer or mastectomy surgery with prosthetic breast forms and bras — for Norco Medical (formerly Mid-Columbia Health Care Equipment), Cowart initially intended to open a business as a mastectomy fitter, but after the closure of businesses that were considered some of the community’s primary carriers of women’s intimate apparel, she saw the need to expand her idea into a full retail store.
Inside Les Dalles Boutique.
Kelsie Cowart
“Originally the main focus of the shop was to do mastectomy, but after Kmart closed — which actually, surprisingly, had a fairly large selection of women’s intimate apparel — and after JC Penney closed, I decided that it was time to open a shop that would service everyone,” said Cowart.
The boutique carries a variety of brands, including Ambrielle, Bellarosa, Playtex, Daisey Fuentes and Vanity Fair, to name a few. “I look for bras that are commonly sold at Nordstrom or Macys and try to match that,” said Cowart, noting that she will also attempt to order specific brands and sizes customers are looking for when possible. “I will try to get whatever a client wants,” she said.
A Spree Intimates pajama set on display at Les Dalles Boutique. Kelise Cowart photo
Kalsie Cowart
While Cowart is not able to bill mastectomy patient’s medical insurance at this time, she does carry mastectomy products that customers can be fitted for and purchase themselves.
“I will fit a client if they need a prosthetic or if they just need bras,” said Cowart. “I don’t have the Medicare certification to bill (insurance), so that is one thing that we’ll be working on.”
Retail customers can make an appointment to be fitted by Cowart, either at the cost of $10 or free with the purchase of a bra. “It’s a matter of ensuring that the bra that they choose fits well,” she said.
Besides bras, Cowart also carries a variety of sleepwear, ranging from summer shorts and tank-top sets from brands including Spree Intimates and Sleep and Co., to warm Bearpaw flannel sets for the cold weather months. The boutique also carries an assortment of undergarments, including underwear, camisoles and slips. Towards the spring time, Cowart is looking to carry swimsuits as well.
Shop owner Nicole Cowart shows off an Elomi brand bra.
Kalsie Cowart
Along with apparel, Les Dalles Boutique carries a variety of bath and beauty products, including a selection from Bombshell Bath Company, a Dufur-based business that specializes in the making of handmade natural bath products. An Avon representative, Cowart also sells a variety of Avon bath and beauty products, including make-up, skin care, lotions and haircare.
Cowart hopes that her shop will be a place that all customers will feel at home and comfortable while they shop for what they need.
“I want them to leave feeling like they received the service and the products that they wanted and needed,” she said.
Inside Les Dalles Boutique.
Kelsie Cowart
Front window display at Les Dalles Boutique.
Kalsie Cowart
When asked if there was anything she wanted to add, Cowart wanted to give a shout-out to the other female entrepreneurs in town. “There’s some other remarkable women around this town that are starting new businesses and I’d love to come together as a community of women businesses, to help anybody else that wants to start a new business and just have that partnership,” said Cowart. “I think The Dalles is on its way to becoming much bigger than it has been in the last few years, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Les Dalles Boutique is located at 502 Washington St., Suite 201, and is currently open Thursday through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with fittings available on Fridays and Saturdays. To make an appointment for a fitting or for more information, call 541-370-2375, contact lesdallesboutique@gmail.com, or visit their page on Facebook.
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