Marianne Hassan, owner of bra-fitting boutique BRACHIC, poses with her employees. Photo courtesy of Marianne Hassan.

As part of the ‘Behind the Business’ series, the Westboro Village BIA is showcasing the people and stories behind your favourite shops.

When Marianne Hassan decided to start BRACHIC almost twenty years ago, she was taking matters into her own hands.

Having grown up in London, England, Marianne was used to a full-service experience when bra shopping. But when she moved to Ottawa over 20 years ago, she noticed that bra stores were different: the stores had less size range, and customers were expected to select and try bras on themselves without guidance from retail associates. On this side of the pond, Marianne wasn’t able to find properly fitting bras for herself.

At the same time that Marianne was unhappy with the bra selection in North America, she was also frustrated with her job as a health care worker.

She travelled to London as a surprise visit for her sister’s 40th birthday. While there, the two went bra shopping to the department store, John Lewis. “I said to her, ‘I can’t believe I live in the capital city, and there’s nowhere like this,'” said Marianne, also complaining about her job.

“So my sister very flippantly said, ‘Well if you’re not happy Marianne, leave your job, and if you can’t find any bras open up a shop, it can’t be that hard.'”

Perhaps in a stroke of fate, Marianne found herself sitting beside someone who worked in the European bra industry on her return flight back to Ottawa. They talked about her idea of opening up a shop, and the industry worker gave her their business card. “I’ve been really lucky in meeting the right people in the industry that have given me their time,” she said.

To start her business Marianne took out a loan from the bank, using her house as collateral. For the first two years of running BRACHIC, Marianne worked by herself and with the help of who she called “beautiful, lovely” friends.

“It was terrible the first year. I know that I worked every day and I was really tired. Year two, I had paid staff. The first two to three years I actually didn’t take a wage,” she said.

From there, BRACHIC took off, becoming a popular and well-loved boutique for bra shoppers in the Ottawa area.

The shop won a Soakworthy award in 2020, an honour within the industry. Marianne said the award is given to the best bra store in Canada.

She joked that it was terrible they won last year, because it meant the festivities were held remotely instead of the usual tradition of celebrating on a Tribeca rooftop in New York City.

Marianne said she and her shop’s team already knew their worth, and didn’t need the award to tell them that.

“I just wanted the trophy,” said Marianne. “Give it to me, it’s so pretty!”

Marianne poses with her Soakworthy award in the BRACHIC storefront. Photo courtesy of Marianne Hassan.

As a business that centres in-person fittings, Marianne said she has certainly faced her own challenges adapting BRACHIC’s services amid the pandemic. “It presented me with a bit of a dilemma,” said Marianne. “With the intimates that we sell, I’m not a big fan of selling online.”

The BRACHIC online shop displays a fraction of what would be available in-store for an in-person fitting. Marianne said that is intentional.

Given the risks posed to public health by the pandemic, sending bras out with the ability to return them did not seem feasible, especially during the first lockdown when very little was known about the virus. “Do I want to sell you a bra that you have in your environment? And then you’re going to send it back to me?” said Marianne.

She said she feels comfortable selling unwired bras online, because there is less of a risk of harm than if someone wore an ill-fitting wired bra.

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“Thank goodness I’m here with the government that we have, because we had rent subsidies and wage subsidies,” she said. Even with government support, Marianne said the business has gone from six full-time staff to two full-time and one part-time staff. “As soon as my door closes, there’s no more revenue coming in,” said Marianne. “We’re just holding on.”

Despite having faced so much adversity and uncertainty, Marianne has managed to stay calm while weathering the storm. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that resistance is futile,” she said. “Because who is it going to hurt? You’re going to drive yourself crazy.”

“If people want a BRACHIC, then we will be supported. If we don’t matter anymore, and nobody wants to come then we won’t be here. And I have no control over that.”

You can find Marianne and BRACHIC through their website, on Facebook and Instagram!