By Heather Kennison
The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Meet the mother-daughter team who are trying to help boost women’s confidence in their bodies. Their plus-sized boutique located in Twin Falls, Idaho focuses on fashionable clothing for women size 10 to 3x.
TWIN FALLS
When she returned to southern Idaho from Washington in 2015, Ashley DuBois was discouraged by her options for clothes shopping.
As a woman wearing plus-sizes, she felt like she had nowhere to shop for fashionable clothing that fit her. And she knew that she wasn’t alone — there were other women just like her who felt the same way.
“We don’t like to look frumpy and old,” she said. “We like to look classy and sexy.”
So she pitched a business idea to her mother, Debra Bradley. HiPs, 239 Main Ave. W., opened about a month later on a whim, when DuBois took over a building lease for someone she knew.
At HiPs, the owners aim to boost women’s confidence in their bodies.
“We’re not about body shaming,” DuBois said. “We’re about body positivity all around. . . They’re not our customers, they’re our BFFs.”
On Friday, Twin Falls resident Brandy Lewis explored the shop for the first time, searching for something nice to wear for Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve always had trouble buying clothes, especially cute clothes,” she said.
Lewis found what she was looking for, and said she was pleased at not having to go to Boise or Idaho Falls for it.
HiPs mostly carries sizes 10 to 3X, but the store has some styles in 4X to 6X and pants sizes 14 to 28. DuBois and Bradley like to experiment by trying on clothes themselves and helping women with body shapes from pear to apple to “extreme hourglass.”
Prices range from $9.95 to $49.95, with clearance items $5 and up. DuBois describes the selection as “big-city fashion at small-town prices.”
The store recently launched an intimates line for romantic apparel. The owners are planning a sale of 30 percent off through Valentine’s Day.
Other items in-store include costume jewelry and DuBois’ own handmade, steampunk jewelry.
The mother and daughter have come a long way from DuBois’ first job, when she worked for Bradley at a restaurant in Hagerman.
“She made it horrible,” she said. “It was tough love.”
Bradley, who can often be found sitting outside the shop, said she was glad to be able to give her daughter a hand.
“A lot of people thought it would be a strain on our relationship, but it hasn’t,” she said.
“We don’t like to look frumpy and old. We like to look classy and sexy.” Ashley DuBoise, HiPs co-owner
