At Le Boudoir Boutique, The Perfect Fit

At Le Boudoir Boutique, The Perfect Fit

Sara Crutcher, left, and Kayse Small, co-owners of Le Boudoir in Middleburg.

Photo by Carina Elgin

By Carina Elgin

While the co-owners of Middleburg’s Le Boudoir boutique, Sara Crutcher and Kayse Small, once lived in different parts of the country, both always had a dream of starting a “sophisticated and classy” lingerie shop.

Fate, in the unlikely form of a children’s book, brought them together, resulting in Le Boudoir, Northern Virginia’s destination for expert bra fitting and top-quality selection.

Crutcher found her passion for lingerie while working at Victoria’s Secret in high school and in college. Originally from Ohio, she graduated from Hampton College in Virginia with a degree in advertising, which took her to jobs in various cities in the U.S. She also worked in several high-end lingerie boutiques, and became an expert bra fitter, loving the fashion and feel of luxury undergarments. She was living in Detroit when a chance encounter between her mother and Small, the manager of the gift shop at Salamander Resort, led Crutcher to Middleburg for the first time to do a signing of her children’s book, “Heart Picked: Elizabeth’s Adoption Tale” (available on Amazon and other retail outlets).

Originally from Louisiana and a U.S. Air Force veteran, Small was on assignment in Paris, France, when she truly began to appreciate lingerie. She loved how French women accepted and loved their bodies. She visited the city’s small shops, and the trade shows, to research the industry.

She knew she wanted to open her own shop, and upon returning to the States, fell in love with Middleburg. She felt the town wasn’t quite ready for her shop at that point, and worked at Salamander, running the gift shop for more than four years.

While chatting during Crutcher’s book signing visit, they discovered their shared love for lingerie, and both knew instantly that they would open that shop together. They stayed in touch, visited trade shows together, sharing ideas. It wasn’t long before Small texted that she had found retail space on Pendleton Street in Middleburg. Less than a month later, Crutcher packed up, left Detroit behind and drove through a blizzard to move to Middleburg.

Thanks to repeat customers and increased online sales, Le Boudoir made it through the pandemic and is ready to make more women feel good about themselves with well-fitting and pretty lingerie.

Their move to 5 South Madison Street has helped the shop blossom, Crutcher explained. They get more foot traffic, as part of Middleburg’s “destination town” appeal. “As well as fitting Middleburg women, people come from near and far on day trips here,” Crutcher said.

The shop’s offerings are carefully chosen to be sure they are of excellent quality and fashionable, for all ages and body shapes. Most items are European-made, and brassieres sell in the price range of $70-$120. Among the beautiful racks of different styles and colors, they carry foundation pieces, everyday underwear and soft, sophisticated sleepwear, as well as fancier varieties.

They even have sports bras, stressing that making sure active women who ride, garden, etc., are properly supported is part of what they do, not just preparing women for those “special nights.” For men, they carry Tommy John products.

Le Boudoir has several fitting rooms, and the owners welcome appointments as well as walk-ins. Sara Crutcher and Kayse Small will ensure their customers leave “happy, fitted and confident.”

Le Boudoir is located at 5 South Madison Street in Middleburg, VA. The website is www.leboudoirfits.com.