Bare Necessities

I have spent years adjusting my bra, suffering raw spots, underwire issues, and finding little support in my bras, and having 4 saggy breast :( My mom and I finally decided that we are going to treat ourselves to a professional bra purchasing experience. Mom suggested Bare Necessities, I complained that it would be too expensive, but we went anyway. I was assisted by Evie.... and discovered tons of things about bras that I, in my 41 years, never knew! She gave me undivided attention, she made me feel comfortable, and she put every single effort toward finding the perfect bras for my lifestyle.\r \r I have never, not even once, had on a bra that was so comfortable as the one's Evie helped me select. She taught me how to care for them and gave me other valuable info.\r \r While I was there I also purchased a bathing suit. That's always been an issue for me because of my petite but muscular....sometimes chubby build. But I found a beautiful suit that disguised my flaws and, this is the best part, they are altering it for me!!!! Now I can go away this winter and enjoy wearing a suit that doesn't make me feel self conscious.\r \r Price....I spent a mini fortune but there isn't any buyers remorse here, the experience was top notch and my bras, I feel are the very best that money can buy! I went home yesterday and threw out all of the other bras that I owned, I will never shop anywhere else for my lingerie again. more

When I moved to Baltimore 8 years ago, I would send my mother emails to purchase a new bra in Chicago - I could NOT find a great bra shop. That is, until I walked into Greenspring station. The women in my family are all bigger than a C cup and all but my mother have had Breast Cancer. The ladies at Bare Necessities not only know about this but completely understand and support women like those in my family. To speak clearly about some of the previous comments: 1. If you want a bra that fits well, lasts a long time, and holds you at a desirable height (you know...) then you will pay no less than $65. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can spend less (unless it is on sale) and get the same value. I purchase two new bras every 3-6 months and spend a minimum of $65 on each. These are investment pieces. These are not ""trendy"" items that you buy at Target (where I do purchase staple pieces) and you can throw away once they are used up. The moral of the money story here: you get what you pay for. 2. The ladies at Bare Necessities are sharp, quick-witted, and brusque. Coming from a large family of women, I fit in with them well. When my sister came to help me purchase final pieces for my wedding, we laughed and laughed with the ladies. HOWEVER, the one instance where I was working with a woman that I did not appreciate, I simply walked up to someone else and expressed my frustration. Lauren came over and worked with me instead. I know that the customer is always right and so this can be challenging for some people but really, the saleswomen are not mind readers. Tell them you don't like what is happening and tell them why so you can have better service. 3. On the rare occasion that the ladies have not had the exact bra I wanted (color or size), they order it for me. If I am not sure it will fit, they order it and I don't pay until it is fitted. If I know it is going to work, I pay for it, they call when it comes in, and my husband runs in to grab it if I am not around. The ONLY recommendation is that I wish the orders they place came in a little quicker. I have waited over 2 weeks before. I am not sure if that is the manufacturers or the ladies but I thought I would put it out there. Bottom line: you pay for what you get and you get what you ask for. If you ask for good service and invest in your undergarments you will always be satisfied at Bare Necessities. Thanks Ladies! more

I agree with ksm9944 wholeheartedly. I had been to bare necessities in the past and had a pretty decent experience. I had even recommended it to a couple of friends. But nothing can top my experience recently. I will NEVER shop there again. \r \r I, too, am pregnant and busty to begin with. I went to barenecessities because I figured they'd have a decent selection in the size I was measuring (36G or 38F). But, according to the sales lady there was one bra that could fit me, and it was the UGLIEST bra I have seen in my life. I had done some research online ahead of time and knew there were other options out there. I explained that I was looking for something that was a little more flattering, and that's when the sales lady began her pitch. I know she was trying to be nice, but she basically said that I shouldn't look for anything attractive because I'm pregnant and they're just going to get bigger. She went on and on and on. I said I wanted to speak to my husband (who I had thankfully brought with me) and look around, but she followed me around, editorializing at everything that I touched. I started to cry (god bless horomones) and she didn't miss a beat - just kept going with her spiel.\r \r We ended up walking out with two of the UGLY bras - after she told me that I shouldn't buy a black bra because I wouldn't use it (I bought one anyway - 90% of my maternity wardrobe is black or grey or dark colors). My husband later agreed that they were the UGLIEST bras he had ever seen, but only after we had gone somewhere else and found 4 beautiful, perfect, flattering bras. I told the other store about my experience, and they said that universally, their customers who have been to bare necessities have had similar experiences and they never refer anyone there. I ended up returning the two bras but had to endure 5 requests to be re-fitted for something else.\r \r By the way, they have a SEVEN day return policy with the tags on and they're closed on Sundays. Good luck getting a return back in time. more

One of the most important tips we tell customers about caring for a bra is that it MUST be washed after each and every wearing. This gets the body oils off the fabric which quickly breaks down the material and elasticity. We recommend you use any fabric wash sensitive enough to use on baby’s clothes, and of course hand washing. The manufacturer states that on the tag that they need to be hand washed. However, I find that the styles I have that are less lacey of the bunch are okay to put in the machine on a delicate hand wash cycle but ALWAYS in a mesh lingerie wash bag. This will help preserve the fabric and help it last much longer. A bra should never be worn a week in a row. It will do nothing for you at that point. \r There is rarely an instance where we don’t have enough sizes in the store, we work extremely hard to maintain an inventory of over 10,000 bra’s with full runs of every style we carry (that aren’t discontinued and are available to order). Nevertheless, when there isn’t a particular size, style or color in the store we are ALWAYS happy to special order anything that is available for customers, and get shipments of new stock in every day. We have been named “Best of Baltimore” for lingerie & swimwear many years and are especially proud of this achievement. \r We only mean to be helpful and to make women feel and look better in their clothes. I am particularly regretful that your experience at the store was an unfavorable one. The store employs over 10 very well trained lovely women that most of which have been with the store for years and are very well liked and appreciated. Furthermore, we do not make commission at all hence my confusion that someone fit a bra that didn’t fit correctly on purpose. There would be no need to sell anybody something they didn’t find sufficient. Without knowing the complete story or who helped you I would like to say on behalf of all us at the store that I can assure you it wasn’t on purpose, and apologize for the pushy behavior. That is not tolerated and will certainly be discussed. Bare Necessities, Ltd is an unintimidating, no pressure environment that every single person can feel welcomed in. We have woman fitters of all ages who are very knowledgeable as well as personable. Nonetheless, mistakes are made and nobody is perfect. Sometimes, it takes more than the time spent in the store to find that something wasn’t right with the bra. That is when the expertise of our seamstresses is vital. A customer can always bring a laundered bra back to the store to be fixed and re-fit properly, no problem. We are happy to make any changes we need to make to insure that our customers get the best service and proper fitting. \r more

First I would like to say, as manager at Bare Necessities, Ltd in Green Spring Station I would like to apologize for the confusion you encountered regarding the Bare Necessities company online and our privately family owned company located in Green Spring Station. We’ve been in business and fitting woman in foundations for 25 years and counting. It was 15 years ago when the “Bare Necessities” company used the same name for an online store. The issue was dealt with in court and resolved at settlement. When current issues involving our website and the online company our resolved, the website for our privately owned store Bare Necessities, ltd will be an informational website explaining that we are a store that prides ourselves on customer service and bends over backwards to please customers and be the best in our field. We specialize in hard to fit sizes ranging from a 30 back and A cup to a 52 back and L cup. We have two seamstresses on staff and custom fit and alter bras for an even more perfect fit. We are trained and certified to fit women for prosthesis fittings and have untouched expertise in fitting women who have had mastectomies or lumpectomies being that we are extremely familiar with the surgery and work in an exceptionally welcoming and discreet environment. Many doctors and surgeons in the Baltimore area recommend their patients to us whether it is a cosmetic surgery patient or any other patient every day. \r The reason we do not carry many department store brands is because we carry mid to higher end brands renowned for their excellence in the manufacturing of quality in their products. The owners of the store have been personally buying for the store for 25 years and are exceedingly competent at buying for the store. They go to all the markets pertinent to the store and work EXTREMELY hard trying to accommodate any person that walks in the store. After all, it is their philosophy of stellar customer service and unmatched expertise that has made us so popular and well liked. It’s my understanding that they have carried department store brands similar to Bali many years ago and found by their own experience with the brands that the higher end brands such as Wacoal, Chantelle, Le Mystere, Spanx etc; make a superior product well worth the investment. We have a remarkable assortment of bras to fit most people’s budget. An average bra cost at Bare Necessities, Ltd, is about $62.00. We have plenty of great choices ranging from $36 to $58, and a variety ranging from $62 to $88 and a couple topping off at $110 and $135. \r \r to be continued on next review. it wouldnt let me write anymore. \r more

I'm busty to begin with but also am pregnant so when extenders were no longer cutting it with my bras, I knew I should get fitted & knew to avoid regular stores because I expected to be an unusually large size. I knew of this store because I'm familiar with the shopping center its in. THe store about 45 min from my house so I wanted to check out their selection online first, & found several on what I thought was their website, barenecessities, that I thought would suit my needs. Upon arriving I found out they don't carry those brands ( How do you not carry Bali?!, hello!) because they aren't the company whose website I was looking at. Their website is necessarysecrets, not that it will do you much good because it is under construction. Anyway, I let them fit me and I bought the bra that fit best that we tried (which is butt ugly BTW) and about twice as expensive as I was expecting. (some of the bras I tired on cost $100!) I wore it home because I'm pregnant and my old bras with extenders had gotten uncomfortable. I've worn it every day since and immediately noticed back pain which steadily increased throughout the week. I think it is because my heavy, pregnant breasts aren't being adequately supported. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the bra she sold me wasn't even the size she measured me as!!!!!!! Jeez, if you don't have my size say so, don't sell me a size smaller without even saying anything!!! This store is very out of the way for me, but I think I will have to go back and return it. I literally feel more comfortable going braless than in this thing. I also plan to buy my bras online from now on. Measuring oneself isn't a big deal and that way I know I'll right bra at a reasonable price. Cons: expensive, saleslady didn't seem knowledgeable, pushy sales more

Everyone at Bare Necessities is very friendly and I never feel uncomfortable. They have a wide selection of top quality bras. I have an unusual size and I love that they do bra alterations! It is the only place where I can actually find bras that fit correctly. more