Elegance & Empowerment

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: June 2024

Haley Hays

In a wood-paneled storeroom on Carolina Way, lace, silk, and satin in myriad shades fill cubby holes – crimson red, creamy champagne, silvery pearl, and snowy white.

A sparkling chandelier illuminates racks of lingerie, sleepwear, and loungewear in rainbow hues. A bra with matching panties, embellished with ribbon and rhinestones, rests atop a table. Fairytale chemises, adorned with Chantilly lace reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, float from hangers.

A corseted mannequin in the front window showcases delicate white lace, while a flowing satin robe fit for a wedding night hangs against the dark paneled wall.

And, seated on an emerald green velvet couch between shaggy white pillows is Haley Hays, the owner of the recently opened Haley’s Fine Lingerie.

A fifth-generation entrepreneur, Hays has been fascinated by lingerie since her grandmother took her to Paris and Rome when she was in middle school. Bewitched by the boutiques of the two cities, she fell hard for fashion and decided then she would one day have her own business.

Haley learned how to sew her senior year of high school, where she then learned how to make a couple of clothing garments for herself. Afterwards she spent six years learning the retail trade working at Annawear in Highlands.

It took Hays six months to renovate the space that had formerly housed Cabin Couture so that it was suitable to showcase the delicate undergarments she planned for it. She painted floors, built dressing rooms, constructed a platform for the window displays, had curtains fabricated and even resurfaced an old wooden table with her collection of pennies.

Hays’ goal in opening the store is straightforward– to make every woman feel beautiful.

As she told me, “If real empowerment is, as I believe, in how you feel about yourself – wearing what makes you feel secure and confident enough to go forth and face the world – then it starts with the first things you put on in the morning and the last things you put on at night – lingerie.”

Inspired by Christian Dior’s words, “Real elegance is everywhere. Especially in the things that don’t show,” Haley is motivated by a strong belief in not only creating an experience that embodies the female spirt, but most importantly in the authenticity of all bodies.

A key element of Hays’ mission to promote body confidence and offer customers options for feeling supported and positive about themselves is providing private custom bra fittings, one-on-one appointments (including after hours), and private showings.

Haley’s Fine Lingerie is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

For more information call (828) 371-7890 or visit their Instagram profile, @haleysfinelingerie.