Saint John Shop Wants To Be ‘Go To’ Place For Wellness And Breast Cancer Patients
SAINT JOHN – When Maria Jimenez’s mother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer in 2016, she found it difficult to find products needed to help comfort her. Things like wigs, prosthetics, custom-fitted quality bras, skincare, and remedies to help with nausea were a challenge to find.
“Going to doctor’s appointments and figuring out what she needed [to get] through her treatments and going through her experience, we were at a loss…sadly enough, the physicians didn’t have any recommendations,” says Jimenez. “I was like, ‘how is this possible that no one knows where to get anything supportive going through their experience?'”
Jimenez saw there was an opportunity to create a one-stop-shop for these kinds of items herself.
“At the end of the day I basically just said, ‘what would be a great idea to find everything under one roof?’ That’s kind of how the concept started,” she says. “To be able to make things easier not only for the patients themselves but for the families, the friends or the neighbours that are their support, where can they get items for the patients?”
That’s how the Believe Specialty Shop came to be.
Located at 199 Chesley Drive, the shop carries things like skincare and anti-nausea products, bamboo products such as cutlery, satin pillowcases, books and essential oils. For breast cancer survivors, they carry prosthetics, wigs, bras, lingerie, swimwear and activewear.
“I’ve branched out to accommodate all women, so our activewear and swimwear, for example, goes from size 6 to size 24,” says Jimenez. “So I can help plus size clientele.”
Though helping breast cancer survivors was the shop’s original mission, Jimenez says her clientele has grown to include not just them.
“I would say my main customer base is probably split 50/50. It is certainly breast cancer survivors, but healthy women are stepping forward and realizing the importance of wearing a proper bra, proper support,” she says.
“It’s really an overall wellness piece for me and then obviously making a breast cancer survivor feeling whole and complete again.”
Social media has played a big role in helping get the word out about her shop. She also does mobile visits to outside communities like Grand Manan and St. George. Attending different markets and events at hospitals and wellness fairs in the area also helps raise the shop’s profile.
“I do a lot of vendors markets at the Saint John Regional [Hospital], of course, that’s a really important place for me to attend markets, and from there, talking to nursing staff or physicians, or the general public. They’re like, ‘Wow, where’s your store?'” says Jimenez. “I need to be out in the community to push the store and get more people [knowing] that it exists.”
Looking ahead, Jimenez is exploring different options for growth, like opening an online store or doubling down on the mobile component of the business.
“Interestingly enough, Grand Manan is [where I find] my biggest clientele. Next is St. George and the Charlotte County area, then Saint John is third,” she says.
“Whether I plan are to keep a brick-and-mortar storefront, or expand into a more mobile business, that’s kind of what I need to think about going forward.”
Ideally, she would always like to keep a store in Saint John, but shew knows the challenges that come with that, noting that it takes everyone supporting local for small businesses like hers to thrive.
“I know businesses take at least three of five years to get on their feet, but it’s tough when a lot of people don’t support [businesses] locally. I’m a huge local supporter … and when people tend to complain about why businesses close, there’s your reason,” says Jimenez.
“If you’re not going support your local business, entrepreneurs or companies, we can’t grow. Saint John can’t grow as a city. I would love to stay in Saint John. I would love to grow bigger.”
Ultimately, her goal is for Believe Specialty Shop to be the go-to place for women’s wellness, whether they are healthy, or battling cancer.
“I want to be recognized in the Maritimes as the place to come for women’s wellness in general, but also to be able to offer the cancer one-stop-shop niche for those that need it,” says Jimenez.