Feature: Yes! It Fits
The other day, I shared a post on my Facebook page regarding new tankini arrivals at Yes! It Fits — and the comments under my post ranged from “excellent products and lovely service” to “superb service and excellent quality.”
But there was also one comment that read: “Why have I never heard of this place? I’m going next week. Lol. I need a bathing suit bad!!”
One of the goals of Sault Business Matters is to highlight and showcase all of the fabulous businesses we have right here in Sault Ste. Marie — businesses like Yes! It Fits.
Yes! It Fits owner Jodie McNabb could never be accused of being lazy or unambitious and there are many who likely questioned her decision to add to an already busy life as a real estate sales rep for the past fifteen years and very involved with her husband’s construction company as well.
Why would she decide to open a store with so much going on already?
Jodie’s reply with a chuckle is that she gets bored easily and it was a bit of a whim but also with all sincerity she says that she felt her “why” was missing.
She had been working on some self-development workshops in Arizona over the last while and really working on confidence building. She realized that there was definitely a market here in Sault Ste. Marie for this type of business.
Jodie was also really motivated and inspired by her good friend, the late Jan Robert , who owned a Sault favourite store for women called Feel’ N Fabulous for many years before losing her battle with cancer. Jan had a real gift for making sure women feel beautiful and like the name of the store , “fabulous.” She was the epitome of what customer service is all about and always ensured that women left the store with the clothes especially bras that did what they are supposed to – make you feel confident and comfortable.
Well, Jodie’s inspiration to open Yes! It Fits was a combination of wanting to help women feel better about themselves but also she says with a laugh, it was the result of a bit of selfishness! She realized with the closing of Feel’ N Fabulous and other large retailers, she had nowhere to shop for bras and hence the idea to open Yes! It Fits took shape.
One of Jodie’s primary goals is to offer women a nice, comfortable experience that isn’t intimidating when they come shopping for bras or swimwear because let’s face it, it can be an awkward experience.
Women often have preconceived notions of what they “should” be wearing but one thing you will quickly learn about Jodie is that she doesn’t mince words and in her honest but funny way, she will quickly let you know if you are wearing the wrong bra or choosing the wrong style.
She jokes that women are so concerned with “backfat” and her response to that is don’t worry about it since you aren’t the one who has to look at it! As long as the bra is doing what it is supposed to do, that is all that matters.
She says being in this industry she sees first hand how hard women are on themselves and one of the rewarding parts of her job is helping women leave her store feeling better about how they feel about their body. She hears the frustration from women who comment how they used to be a size such and such but is quick to explain to these women that bodies change for a number of reasons, the shape of breasts changes and sometimes it’s not size but the style that will solve a problem and helping to pinpoint what will work best is something she excels at.
Jodie offers excellent bra fitting expertise and it’s in a nice comfortable environment. Nothing makes her happier than seeing women leave excited to wear a pretty bra since believe it or not there are still many women who wear the matronly ones in neutral colours that they always felt they had to wear.
There are women who leave excited to finally wear what they call a pretty bra! This is the type of experience Jodie envisioned for the store and what has transpired.
Interesting enough, it is often her “tiny girls” says that are the hardest on themselves but she being so open, honest and real, is able to set them straight on what looks good.
One life lesson she often instills again in her funny, cool “aunt like persona” for the younger folk is that “spillage is not cleavage.” Jodie invites women to step out of their comfort zone and for the women who insist they can’t wear a bra with an underwire, her reply is yes you can! It is not 1902 anymore and bra construction has changed a lot since then.
Be open to the experience and don’t be afraid to try something new, even something as simple as colour can make you feel good! When putting on your clothes in the morning, wear whatever makes you feel good and it starts with your undergarments!
When asked if she had any special training for bra fitting, Jodie replied that she was trained by the late Jan Robert but she also took an online course by the Fit Academy but by far she has learned the most from experience. She now knows the popular sizes and colours because of experience.
One nice feature offered at Yes! It Fits is a filing system so that customers’ preferred styles and sizes are kept on record making it easy for husbands or family members to shop for people. She jokes that she won’t let husbands screw up by buying the wrong bra and will often tell them, do you want her happy or sexy?
Jodie and her staff know customers well and the personalized service is what keeps people coming back. Although bra sales are definitely the main part of her business with her current inventory consisting of four to five many companies each with various styles, she also carries an inexpensive line of Canadian jewellery by Jaqueline Kent — mainly so people can add a small piece to go with gift certificate purchases — and a great line of UV protected, wrinkle resistant dresses by Montreal based company Miss Versa which are great for travel and made from non-clingy material which many women appreciate.
She also carries, as mentioned, swimwear, some sleepwear, and bamboo clothing like tanks and leggings and finally some shape wear. The decision to add swimwear made sense because it is a good fit because if people are already comfortable trying on bras then they will be okay to also try on bathing suits and not many people like to shop online for swimsuits.
Jodie has heard from a lot of people asking why she doesn’t expand but her belief is why carry things that others already do and she won’t sell things that she doesn’t feel comfortable with herself. Other local stores are now referring women to her to compliment their offerings because they recognize that some dresses or outfits would look better if women had better bras on and Jodie always refers people to other local businesses for things she doesn’t carry.
In an effort to show women that they should not be afraid to stop in, she has modeled her new swimsuit arrivals on her social media to show women that if she can do it, so can I.
One initiative she is very happy to assist with is ‘operation all dressed up’ where people will be able to drop off gently used dresses for girls for their Grade 8 and Grade 12 formals at her store for those that can’t afford to buy one on their own. The dresses will be available at the Atrium at the Water Tower Inn.
These girls will also receive vouchers for hair and makeup and a goodie bag through this great program.
For the bargain shoppers, there is a sale section in the lower part of the store that has marked down discontinued items, the ones that didn’t sell well, or ones no longer carried by the store.
Stay tuned for the first ever bra burning party ever in Sault Ste. Marie with details to come in the next few months!
Visit Jodie and her friendly staff during regular business hours which can be found on her website www.yesitfits.ca or on her Facebook page.
Yes! It Fits …creating comfortable confidence!
