Real Talk, Real Growth

Host Linda Ostovitz welcomes Mary Jordan, owner of Bra La La, a bra fitting boutique in Maple Lawn, Fulton, Maryland, for an inspiring conversation about what it takes to build a business from the ground up and keep it standing through every storm. Mary shares the unlikely journey that took her from cancer research at Georgetown’s Lombardi Cancer Center to biotech sales, and ultimately to opening a specialty boutique with nothing but a great idea, 100 surveys, and a road trip up and down the East Coast. She reflects on surviving the 2008 economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly two decades of retail turnover in a neighborhood that once felt like a cow field, and explains why community connection, compassion, and showing up for people have always been her most powerful business tools. From her store’s 200-size fitting range and post-mastectomy expertise to its role as a trusted ambassador for French luxury brand Empreinte, Mary offers a candid, heartfelt look at what it really means to run a business where making women feel good is the entire mission. She also shares stories about her daughters, her husband (a.k.a. Mr. Bra La La), the bra stretches on Route 216, and what her youngest daughter’s music career taught her about following a dream.00:00 Still Standing: Building a Boutique Business with Mary Jordan00:07 Welcome and Guest Introduction01:00 What Is Bra La La?02:00 The Last Original Retailer Standing in Maple Lawn03:30 Surviving the 2008 Economic Downturn05:00 Boots-on-the-Ground Marketing: Chambers, Nonprofits, and Word of Mouth06:30 Surveying 100 Women Before Opening Day07:30 From Cancer Research to Biotech Sales to Bra Boutique Owner09:00 Breaking Into the Industry: Trade Shows, Mentors, and a Barn Raising Mentality11:00 The Bra La La Experience: Private Fittings, Expert Staff, and Problem Solving13:30 Post-Mastectomy Fitting: Certified Providers and Hospital Partnerships15:00 200 Sizes, 5,000 SKUs, Swimwear, and What It Takes to Manage Inventory17:00 Ambassador for Empreinte: One of 12 Stores in the World20:00 Buying Trips to New York and Paris22:00 Paying It Forward: Teaching New Store Owners How to Fit23:00 Community Giving: Bra Stretches, Success in Style, and the Women’s Giving Circle27:00 The Young Women’s Giving Circle and the Next Generation of Leaders28:30 Family Behind the Business: Mr. Bra La La and Two Daughters Who Grew Up in the Store30:30 Snail Mail, Jimmy Fallon, and a Daughter Who Said No to College32:30 COVID-19: The Comfort Project, FaceTime Fittings, and Porch Deliveries35:00 Closing Remarks