Boutique caters to needs of cancer patients
Jamela Hodgson combs a wig before putting it back on display.
GREENSBORO -- Nausea, hair loss and lots of pain. Millions of American women are faced with the daily challenges of living with cancer. Many of them live in North Carolina, but one Greensboro business is making each day a little more bearable for all of them.
"There wasn't really a place that was catering to their special needs,” explained Jamela Hodgson, owner of “A Special Place.”
When Hodgson first got the idea to open a shop for cancer patients 10 years ago, things were very different.
"Most of the wig boutiques were kind of like a shoe store – you just go in and there's walls and walls of wigs and you're kind of left on your own to figure out what you want," Hodgson explained.
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So when Ramona Hertzell, the owner of "Second to Nature" mastectomy, called Hodgson to discuss a joint venture, she jumped at the chance.
"When I first started, we basically had one or two bras that we fit the breast cancer patients with for their prosthesis, and the prosthesis were very heavy and hot,” said Hertzell.
Together, the pair merged their two ideas for a unique shopping experience.
“They want to now that they’ll be able to have a place to come to where they feel like people really care about their needs. Plus, they want a wide selection of cutting edge products," added Hertzell.
Women undergoing chemotherapy or who have had a mastectomy can come to "A Special Place" to be custom-fitted for a new head of hair or a prosthetic.
Ramona Hertzell puts some bras on the clothing rack.
The store doesn’t just deal with wigs and prosthetics though. The boutique offers a whole line of services from manicures to facials. The design of the boutique is to treat the whole woman – not just the physical.
“We're not just looking at a missing breast or missing hair or a skin disorder. We're looking at a woman who wants to feel like a woman, she wants to feel like herself," said Hodgson.
And they say when their clients walk out of the boutique, they feel great.
"They feel good about themselves and they feel good about the way they look," said Hodgson.
"It's the fact that you know you've made a difference in their lives,” added Hertzell.
The boutique also offers a wide range of skin care products, hats and scarves. It is located at 500C State Street in Greensboro. For more information, call (336) 574-0100.