Lingerie Boutique Opens on JFK Street

Forty Winks, a new lingerie boutique on 56 JFK St. above Shay’s Pub and Wine Bar, opened its doors last Friday, hoping to meet Harvard Square’s demand for lingerie.

The store’s owners, Rachel A. Wentworth and Meredith W. Donaldson—both former employees at Harvard Square’s Mint Julep—said Forty Winks differs from other lingerie outlets such as Victoria’s Secret in that its image is not about sex.

“We have sexy stuff, but we didn’t want that to be the main thrust of the store,” Wentworth said. “We want our customers to feel that whatever they want is sexy.”

With a decor characterized by feminine colors and floral patterns, the boutique carries about 30 different lines, including a line of colorful, “eco-friendly” thongs made from recycled silk.

The store also sells lougewear, shapewear, sweaters, and accessories.

Wentworth added that Forty Winks handpicked products whose company backgrounds would appeal to customers.

“We went for products that had stories behind them, that were started by single moms or made in cooperatives in India,” Wentworth said.

The two women left Mint Julep in February to focus on opening their new store, which they had been discussing for about a year.

“We found that we were spending all our time at work together,” Donaldson said. “We figured we might as well spend all our time together and open a store too.”

In choosing the store’s name, Wentworth said they wanted to evoke “somewhere warm where you could relax away from home—to feel you were rested and not stressed.”

“We started googling “catnaps” and things like that,” Wentworth said. “And we thought [Forty Winks] was the cutest name.”

When a F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short article “Gretchen’s Forty Winks” came up on the search engine, the two settled on the name.

Customers browsing the store since its opening left with positive impressions, though one felt the prices were steep. The prices of bras, for example, range from $34 to $86.

“I really like the product, but it’s a little out of my price range now as I’ve just moved from out-of-state,” said Yvette M. Tazernier, 27, who works in Allston. “But I really like the quality of the products and that they’re comfortable, sexy, and functional.”

Wentworth and Donaldson plan to start selling Forty Winks products online within the next six weeks.

Customers can also follow Forty Winks on Facebook or Twitter for store events, sales, and possibly discounts for Harvard alumni during Commencement weekend.

—Staff Writer Michelle B. Timmerman can be reached at mtimmerman@college.harvard.edu.