96-Year-Old Store Opens at New Location

With 96 years of business and three generations of family ownership under its belt, the bra store has relocated to 161 Skokie Valley Road in Highland Park.

Ben Schwartz, the proprietor and grandson of the store’s founders, said reasons for the move included larger facilities, expanded product selection and increased convenience for their devoted clientele.

“We have a full sample room now where we can take things apart,” he said. “We needed more room to play around and experiment.”

Bigger Highland Park location

Aside from a larger behind-the-scenes area, the new store, which opened June 6, also has more spacious fitting rooms and more floor space for merchandise.

Schwartz said with each move, the goal was to be a little closer to their clients. Although many customers still live in Chicago--where the original store was located--the new Highland Park location is minutes from the interstate highway, making it more convenient for customers who live far north and far south, he noted.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to be in quite a few spots in the city and suburbs and have cultivated a following,” Schwartz said. “We keep moving a little closer to where our clients have moved over the years.”

Schwartz’s--first called Schwartz’s Corset Shop--opened on Division Street in Chicago in 1915. The store originally focused on manufacturing, with custom fittings, but gradually developed into doing retail, while still maintaining its personalized, one-on-one service that it is known for today. Relocations have placed Schwartz’s at three spots in Chicago and one each in Skokie and Wilmette. 

Today, Schwartz’s offers bras for women of all sizes and ages, contemporary swimwear in dress sizes and bra sizes and Positive Care medical services.

Schwartz’s started its Positive Care center about 50 years ago, when breast cancer was rarely talked about, even among family members, said Syndi Salat, Ben’s sister and head of the Positive Care department. 

“We acknowledged it and created our own products, so women felt good about themselves despite any life changes,” Salat said. 

Positive Care

Schwartz’s Positive Care offers “confidential services in a nonclinical environment,” primarily for women who experience breast asymmetry due to surgery or radiation treatment. The department also offers compression products for female and male clients.

Positive Care is a nationally accredited facility, and its services have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Many of its customers come with referrals from their doctors or therapists. Salat and her employees use 3D computer-aided design to provide exact product matches. 

“It’s not a cookie-cutter thing,” Salat said. “It’s an evaluation of their own particular needs, and what life changes they’re going through.”

The swimwear section of the store is equally diverse and personalized. The store offers custom alterations and special order options, said Shellie Schwartz, Ben’s wife and head of the swimwear department. 

“There’s always that issue that wearing a swimsuit is like wearing your underwear out for the world to see,” she said. “I am passionate about finding a woman a suit that puts a smile on her face and makes her feel comfortable on the beach.”

Ben said he is confident in the simple philosophy that governs his business: “Give the customer what they want, not what you think they need.”

He said that while other intimate apparel stores try to sell customers an image, Schwartz’s just does whatever it takes to make its clients happy.

“We try to accommodate everyone from very small to very large,” Ben said. “Not everybody can buy an $80 bra; not everybody can buy an underwire bra.”

Ben said it is this devotion to Schwartz's customers that has fueled the business through the decades. Last month, a grandmother who had bought her first bra at Schwartz’s came into the store, he said. Her reason for returning that day: to purchase a first bra for her granddaughter.

“We do evolve,” Salat said. “We’ve been able to hold our own and stand out because of that. Nowadays, customer service is hard pressed to find, but it’s something we still need, and we, as women, deserve.”