Life Goes On Bra!

The great thing about the brassiere trade is that women will always have breasts, and in many cases, up to two of them:

For generations of New York women, one destination has loomed large when it comes to finding The Perfect Bra.

At Town Shop, the venerable Upper West Side institution, thousands of lacy, silky unmentionables are kept in boxes near a fitting area marked “Ladies Only.” Famous for saleswomen who measure with their eyes, and sometimes their hands, the store is a rite of passage for many girls on their way to womanhood, and the store, on Broadway and West 81st Street, boasts a legion of faithful customers. Before her death in 2003, the store’s beloved proprietor, Selma Koch, became something of a local celebrity after appearing on television to discuss the lost art — not science — of fitting a brassiere.

But competition is heating up for the famous store, and with the recent opening of Bra Smyth on Broadway and West 77th Street, there is a veritable bra war brewing on the Upper West Side. So far, both sides have shied away from discrediting the other. On a recent afternoon, Town Shop heir and a grandson of Mrs. Koch, Danny Koch, answered a reporter’s query about neighborhood rivalries with a coy remark. “Are there?” he said.

. . .

Among Town Shop’s loyal customer base, few believe another store can compare. Diana Berrent, 32, said she bought her first training bra there when she was 11 years old and recently returned for a nursing bra. “I’m a true devotee and I’ve referred many friends,” she said.

Not too long ago, Mrs. Berrent and a friend visited Bra Smyth and walked out with nothing. “At the end of the day, I want a bra that fits,” she said, acknowledging, however, that Bra Smyth’s new location is a “bold” move.

Maybe bra shops will cluster on the Upper West Side — a store in the neighborhood specializing in nursing supplies calls itself the Upper Breast Side — the same way that, say, lighting stores cluster along the Bowery and theaters are on Broadway near Times Square.