Ocala’s unique underwear reserve for mastectomy projects, including breast prostheses, professional bras, vests, headscarves, swimwear, sleepwear with cooling wicking materials, wigs, etc.
When you walk into the welcome door of Unique Lingerie, you will be greeted by Queenie.
The elegantly decorated Schnauzer is the mascot of the store, offering specialized clothing for breast cancer survivors in addition to other commodities.
Edna Turner-Degeneste, owner and president of the company, said: “It is one of my greatest pleasures to work with clients who deal with one of the most horrific operations women may experience.”
She saw the work she and her staff did as a ministry.
“The only reason this store is still here is that God wants us to open the door,” she said.
The unique underwear has been located at 4414 SW College Road, Heath Brook Street since 2009. Prior to this, the company had a home in Carriage Trade in eastern Ocala.
The store sells items after mastectomy, including breast prostheses, professional bras, vests, headscarves, swimwear, sleepwear and wigs with cooling wicking materials.
Turner-Degeneste said that the medical term for “wigs” is “skull prosthesis”.
“Have you ever wondered why there is a corresponding medical term for wear after mastectomy?” she asked.
She said it was “medically necessary and obligated to get the best prosthesis for women with breast cancer because she has already undergone this procedure.”
For medical reasons, insurance companies will fund essentials. She said that she has established a unique network of underwear with many insurance companies.
She said that without a suitable breast implant, a person may experience neck and back pain and bone problems. She said that to avoid this, you have to “balance,” she said, for example, a lighter prosthesis is best for the elderly.
She is now a certified fitter for mastectomy, but 45 years ago she was a police officer in New York City. She said that the former Marion County Sheriff and the US Marshall Don Morand were the reason for her relocation to Ocala, and she hired a local federal court employee at the Marshall Service Center in the United States.
She said she took time off and then went to Bermuda to help a friend with a bra accessories business. She began to be keen to open a bra accessories store in Ocala, and a unique underwear was born.
Turner-Degeneste is active in the community and is a member of the Royal Cancer Research Institute. In 2009, he won the Ocala Star Award from the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and became the best minority enterprise of the year.
Although she is not a breast cancer survivor, Ocala entrepreneurs performed breast reconstruction surgery at the age of 26 to remove cysts from the breast.
“At the time, they didn’t have the equipment to judge the difference between cysts and cancer. Now, when I have a mammogram, they tell me that I have a dense organization. This experience makes me curious about what is going on, “she says.
Sandra Brown is also a certified fitter for Unique Lingerie.
“This is the best job of my life. You work hard and feel tired, but at the end of the day, you think you know you helped someone,” Brown said.
Before coming to Ocala, Brown worked at Amoena, a breast prosthetic manufacturing company in Atlanta.
“I am no longer interested in American companies. I want to be hands-on with breast cancer survivors,” she said.
Her interest is further inspired by cousins who have breast cancer at the age of 21 and are now 65 years old.
Brown and Turner-Geneste met at a seminar in Las Vegas, and the rest is history. They share the ownership of the mascot Queenie.
The owner said the employee Wendi Overton was “our Friday.” Overton is a suitable employee, and she will also bill the bill, or she said “a little bit.”
She said that it is good for her to feel confident when a self-doubt person walks out of the store.
“It’s nice to see their changes,” Overton said.
Other employees include the locksmith Theresa Gaines and the wig expert Joanne Elia.
Turner-Geneste and her welcoming Queenie called her business “family business.”
“When you left here, we were friends,” Brown grinned.