By Andrea Harwood
Brooke McBride, a nurse practitioner moved to the area with her family from Vermont about a year ago. Upon arrival, she went to look for scrubs, a standard medical wear, for her new job.
“I did a quick Google search and discovered there was nothing anywhere around me closer of a 30-minute drive away,” said McBride. “I told my husband, ‘We should just open our own’. And so we just went for it.”
She opened The Scrub Shop, a medical apparel and accessory store at 462 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 19. She said business has been very good.
McBride positioned her retail space on Maple Avenue close to Saratoga Hospital, in an area with over 20 different medical offices. She started a grassroots marketing campaign.
“I went to every office in the area that would let me through the doors and I passed out marketing materials,” she said. “We got a lot of customers that way. From there, our customer base grew from word-of-mouth and a strong social media presence.”
McBride works full-time in primary care as a nurse practitioner. Her husband and staff run the store when she is at work. This is McBride’s first business, though her husband has a degree in business.
“I’ve learned a ton,” she said. “The hardest part was getting the store ready to open. Now that it’s open, it’s not that difficult to day-to-day things. But there were months and months of preparation.”
Inclusivity in sizing was important to McBride. The store carries a variety of sizes from XS to 5X, as well as petite and tall. It has a large men’s selection as well.
“I absolutely love interacting with customers,” said McBride. “When they come in looking for something specific, and I can help them find exactly what they are looking for, and they leave with a purchase they’re happy with—honestly it’s the most fun part.”
The Saratoga Scrub Shop also carries shoes, medical equipment and medical accessories. “Anything a healthcare worker might need during they’re shift, we’ve got it,” said McBride. There are also gift items like jewelry, mugs and stickers.
The store is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
The Saratoga Scrub Shop can be found on Facebook and on Instagram at @saratogascrubshop. The store can be reached at 518-450-1177.