After gaining a sizable following as a semifinalist in this year's
Hatch Detroit competition,
Busted in Detroit has officially announced that they will open in a permanent location inside the Park Shelton in time for the holidays.
Construction has already started on the 1,300 square foot space, formerly a hair salon, in the back of the building. Co-owner Lee Padgett, who owns the business along with her husband Patrick, says she is knee-deep in making her first orders and making sure they have a good variety of sizes, styles, and colors when they open.
As we have previously reported in Model D, Busted will be a full service bra boutique providing bras in sizes from 30A to 56K, with cup sizes up to an N. Their bra selection will include categories of everyday, sports, nursing, fashion, strapless, bustier, bralets, and T-shirt bras. They will also have lingerie, bra accessories (dimmers), cleaners, panties, and smoothing foundations.
Even though they didn't win the Hatch competition, the exposure and support they received from it was enough to get them off the ground. Since then an investor has come on board and Padgett has also been talking with other independent undergarment storeowners across the country for advice and guidance.
Some of the specialty lingerie lines that Busted will carry include Curvy Couture, Goddess, Elomi, Fantasy, and Freya. Busted will open with more everyday items (and possibly some sexier items) and will expand their selection to include activewear, maternity items, and more down the line. These different designers all specialize in different kinds of lingerie for different body types, from full-figured women to those with tiny frames who need larger cups and other non-traditional sizes. Whatever Busted doesn't immediately stock can also be special-ordered.
Padgett says the Park Shelton management has been wonderful to work with. She also says fellow Park Shelton retail tenants the Peacock Room, Emerald, Goods, Fourteen East, and even CARE Chiropractic have been very supportive.
The store will have a play area for kids so they can be entertained while moms shop, and it will also display artwork on the walls from local artists – a bit of a throwback to Padgett's days as owner of Café de Troit downtown, which was known for showing works by local artists and making huge efforts to support the local arts scene. Slaw will be the first artist to show at the store.
Padgett hopes to have their grand opening in conjunction with Noel Night on Dec. 7.
Source: Lee Padgett, co-owner of Busted in Detroit
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg
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