A NEW EVERETT STORE SELLS SCRUBS AND OTHER MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Choices Scrubs + Medical sells medical garb of every style. And they're not just for health care workers.
EVERETT — Before that colonoscopy or proctology exam, isn't it uplifting to see your health care attendant wearing colorful medical scrubs? Doesn't it just say, “Hey, we'll get through this and maybe even chuckle about it later."
“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you work good," said Vinson Latimore, 51, the founder and owner of Choices Scrubs + Medical, a new Everett business that sells medical scrubs and medical supplies.
Latimore launched the first Choices Scrubs store at a Bellingham location in 2008. This spring, he opened a second outlet at 7705 Evergreen Way in Everett.
The spacious, 4,700-square-foot store occupies the former Catherine's clothing store at Cascade Plaza, near Planet Fitness and Ross Dress for Less.
The store also rents and sells walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds, lift chairs, orthopedic shoes and other medical supplies for home health care.
“We're trying to be a one-stop shop," said Latimore, looking dapper in cobalt-blue scrubs.
Latimore started the chain out of frustration, he said. He once owned an assisted living facility in Tacoma and was concerned when he saw “employees come to work dressed unprofessionally," he said. “I began supplying them with three sets of scrubs."
What are scrubs and how did they get their name?
In the 1950s, hospital workers began wearing cotton trousers and short-sleeved, V-neck tops to protect patients in the operating room. The green or blue get-up was called “scrubs" because they were worn in a “scrubbed," or clean, environment, health care historians say.
Those two colors still hang on the racks, but now scrubs also come in pink, aqua, gold, black and patterns, along with a variety of fabrics and fabric weights. Most pieces are priced from $20 to $40 and are available in a range of sizes, from petite to 5-extra-large and tall.
A couple of years ago, the world at large discovered scrubs.
Gardeners say they're great for digging in the yard. Gym rats like them for workouts. And now, work-from-home types have discovered their stretchy, elastic waistbands. Others say they make excellent pajamas. For people with limited mobility, Velcro fasteners make them easier to slip on and off.
Scrubs also carries children's scrubs that double as costumes. “They're a favorite at Halloween," Latimore said.
Like the fashion trade, scrub styles, colors and fabrics rotate with the seasons. Popular this spring and summer: the jogger versions, with a tapered leg and fabric ankle cuff, Latimore said.
Latimore hopes to partner with local colleges and nursing schools to provide used scrubs to students.
“I don't want a set of scrubs to be a barrier to students entering the medical field," he said.
Last year, Latimore launched The Choices Scrub Drive through the Bellingham store. Health care facilities were urged to donate gently used scrubs. In all, the store cleaned, pressed and distributed 700 sets of scrubs, including 200 new sets from its own inventory, Latimore said.
You've heard of pop-up stores and food trucks. Latimore hopes to put a new spin on that with the store's “scrub bus," a mobile store stocked with scrubs, doctors' coats and footwear.
Down the road, “the plan is to visit local doctors' and dentists' offices and assisted living and retirement communities," Latimore said.■
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https://www.heraldnet.com/business/a-new-everett-s...
LOCAL SCRUB STORE DONATES GENTLY-USED SCRUBS TO THE UNSUNG HEREOS OF WHATCOM COUNTY
WHATCOM TALK / FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
BELLINGHAM — As we're blasted with information on the Coronavirus from every media outlet at our disposal, it's heart-warming to watch as people and communities come together to solve greater problems and help those they may otherwise not have thought about before the pandemic. Local restaurants are donating meals to essential workers, businesses are writing checks for food banks, community art spaces are sewing masks for the public. The team at Choices Scrubs & Footwear, along with their store for Medical Equipment & Supplies, found themselves in a unique position to not only help the healthcare community but to also make sure that no frontline hero was left behind. “As a former caregiver, I truly understand the role of support staff. If physicians and nurses are the heartbeat, then caregivers and support staff are the valves. If a valve gets blocked, the heart cannot function efficiently," said Vinson Latimore, President and CEO of Gibraltar Business Group, the parent company of Choices Scrubs and Footwear. “We are experiencing this kind of turmoil for the first time, just as you are, and we want to do our part to help members of our local community."
Amid ongoing concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Choices found that scrubs can be difficult for many on a tight-budget. They wanted to make sure that the healthcare workers who are just as important as nurses and doctors, like caregivers, custodians and other support staff, who are often lost in the spotlight, get the assistance they needed too. In an effort to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of these frontline community members, Choices Scrubs & Footwear began a new donation campaign at their Bellingham store early April of this year: The Choices Scrub Drive.
The Choices team is reaching out to individuals, consignment businesses, thrift shop businesses, and other retail businesses and urging them to donate their new or gently-used scrubs during the state shutdown. Their plan: to wash each donated scrub, treat with an anti-microbial agent and distribute to any individual or care facility in Whatcom County in need of protective workwear. But they're not stopping with just outside scrub donations. In addition to anything they receive, Choices has made a promise to donate over 200 sets of scrubs from their own inventory to go specifically to St. Joseph's Hospital and to Shuksan Senior Living in an effort to make life for frontline workers, just a little bit easier.
In exchange for any donations, Choices has printed over 300 exclusive coupons (20% Off Entire Purchase) to distribute to every gracious soul helping them bring positive relief to our community. Any vendors or businesses will get shoutouts on their social media and website. You may drop off your items at 424 W. Bakerview Rd., Ste. 102 located in Bakerview Square, from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m until May 30th.
If you know an individual or a care facility who has been negatively impacted by the Coronavirus and needs assistance with scrubs or workwear, please contact Choices Scrubs & Footwear so they can reach out to them with relief. Now, more than ever, everything being done for the community is making a big difference. Whether you're donating or spreading the word about The Choices Scrub Drive, know that you are putting a smile on the faces of our frontline healthcare defenders. ■
TO READ THE FULL STORY, VISIT:
https://www.whatcomtalk.com/2020/05/15/local-scrub-store-donates-gently-used-scrubs-to-the-unsung-heroes-of-whatcom-county/