'The shop where everybody knows your name - and your bra size!' Spanx founder and self-made billionaire Sara Blakely launches her first ever retail store

• The first Spanx store opened in McLean, Virginia, today

By Sadie Whitelocks

PUBLISHED: 10:56 EST, 2 November 2012 | UPDATED: 10:59 EST, 2 November 2012

The world’s number one shape wear brand Spanx has opened its first standalone store.

Slimming bodysuits and pantyhose are just some of the wares that will be on offer at the outlet in McLean, Virginia, which opened its doors today.

It is said to be the first of several openings this fall and the company’s founder, Sara Blakely, revealed that her vision is to create a place where ‘everybody knows your name - and your bra size'.

First Spanx store: Slimming bodysuits and pantyhose are just some of the wares that will be on offer at the outlet in McLean, Virginia, which opened its doors today

The 41-year-old self-made billionaire made a special appearance at the grand opening at Tysons Corner mall this morning, along with CEO Laurie Ann Goldman.

Ms Blakely exclaimed: ‘This is a longtime dream coming true for me.’

Spanx, which generates revenues in excess of $225million, is sold in over 11, 500 department stores, boutiques and online shops in 40 countries, but until now, the company has never operated its own retail shop.

Further store openings are now set for the King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia and Westfield Garden State Plaza in New Jersey.

Florida-born Ms Blakely launched her brand in 2000 and this year she graced the cover of Forbes' Billionaires issue as the youngest self-made woman to have ever made the list.

Self-made: Company founder Sara Blakely revealed that her vision is to create a place where 'everybody knows your name - and your bra size'

According to the profile, she made her fortune largely as a one-woman show, travelling cross-country for in-store demonstrations and taking customer service calls from her bathroom at home.

She famously never advertises, has no investors, has never been in debt, and built her company with just $5,000 of life savings.

The mother-of-one told Forbes: 'I’d never worked in fashion or retail. I just needed an undergarment that didn’t exist.'

Her instincts, it seems, were spot on. Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz, who saw her first ever pitch, said: 'Sara’s effort was to solve an age-old problem for women in a modern way. We were smitten from the beginning.'