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Pink Edition
Amelia Robinson/Staff
Sisters Debbie Adams and Brenda Mitchell own Silhouette's For Women in Clayton's Randolph Plaza.
Salon lifts cancer survivors’ spirits
It’s not easy when you’re shopping for something to replace a breast, co-owner of Silhouette’s says.
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By Amelia Robinson,
Staff Writer
Updated 6:07 PM Monday, October 12, 2009
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article is part of our month-long focus on breast cancer. To learn more or find ways to help, go to our Pink Edition Page.
CLAYTON — Women often cry when they show up for a first fitting at the Silhouette’s For Women boutique in Clayton, and their tears are not joyful.
The fittings typically come four to six weeks after a mastectomy, when spirits are in the dumps.
Shop owners Debbie Adams and Brenda Mitchell say many of their clients are being treated with chemotherapy or radiation.
“You’re looking for something to replace your breast,” said Adams, a breast cancer survivor. “It is not an easy shopping experience.”
With its cheerful decor, variety of products and knowledgeable staff, the sisters said their post-mastectomy boutique at 8385 N. Main St. does its best to improve the experience of women going through the traumas of breast cancer.
The sisters opened the shop 17 years ago, about a year after Adams had entered recovery.
Silhouette’s specializes in state-of-the-art, post-mastectomy prosthetics as well as mastectomy bras, camisoles and swim wear.
It also carries a variety of other products designed for cancer patients, such as wigs, hats, turbans and scarves.
“We are a full-service salon,” Mitchell said, adding that most clients leave the shop with their prosthetic device, but the shop also can order custom-fit devices.
“It doesn’t matter if you want an A cup or a double D,” she said.
Women battling cancer have unique needs and compassion is paramount.
There is an undeniable difference between a women who has lost her hair due to chemo and one who wants to wear a wig for fashion, said Mitchell, 60, of Springboro.
For many cancer patients, losing hair is among the most devastating aspects of cancer, she said. Those battling cancer simply don’t want to be seen as different.
The sisters, who are just 15 months apart in age and are often mistaken for one another, say their business grew out of a discussion during lunch. Adams, a former stock broker , and Mitchell, a former student loan officer, wanted to open a business together.
“We were both in jobs we were willing to leave. Brenda said why not do it,” said Adams, 59, of Lewisburg.
“Really we just thought there was a need for it on the north side of Dayton.”
The shop was open just eight months after that chat over lunch.
“We went to the library to look up the history of the bra,” said Adams, who had a mastectomy 18 years ago. “All you have to do now is Google it.”
There are relatively few shops of its type in the area market.
Alberta’s A Natural Look in Centerville and Isabella’s Bra-Tique in Dayton are among them.
Adams said there is a clear need for the service the shop provides.
It gives women back a small piece of what they’ve lost during their battle with cancer.
“You can see the difference when they walk through the doors to when they leave,” said Adams.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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Without any hesitation, I would definitely recommend Silhouettes to any woman living the breast cancer experience.
8:45 PM, 10/10/2009
6:33 PM, 10/10/2009