There was a lineup of customers outside Thursday afternoon waiting to get inside the Bradford women's clothing store The Pink Closet Boutique as they celebrated 17 years in business with sales, giveaways and treats.
It was in 2005 that mother-daughter duo, Cindy Weidelich and Tamara Jones opened The Pink Closet in the east end of Bradford. At the time, Tamara was still in high school and would help her mom at the store part-time after school and on weekends. In 2012, the women decided to relocate the shop to the west end of town in the West Park plaza.
"We thought if we were going to move forward, we have to go where the new heart of the town and that's what we did," said Cindy.
Like mother like daughter, the pair have always had an eye for design and a passion for fashion, both studying fashion arts in school.
Before opening the store, Cindy used to design and sew her own threads. She then ventured into the world of retail and hasn't looked back since.
While COVID affected many businesses, including retail, the women were able to find success with their online store.
The duo would also host multiple live virtual sales on Facebook to keep their customers engaged and up to date on the latest fashion trends.
"We interacted by coming into their living rooms (virtually)," said Cindy. "It worked really well. We were all bored so it was nice to interact so they could sit back and talk and joke online."
During lockdowns, the women took advantage of the downtime to revamp the store, giving it a fresh coat of baby pink paint, with new, modern accents.
"Our homes, our personalities, became very Boho so we freshened it up, and it has had such a great impact, even psychologically on the women, it just lifts everybody's spirits," said Cindy.
Over the years, the store has added more products to the store including accessories, stationery, and jewellery.
"We are always getting new suppliers," said Cindy, noting they do their best to bring in Canadian designers. "Pretty much all our giftware is Canadian companies."
Getting to work together every day has been a dream for the mother-daughter team.
"She's (Tamara) really good at social media, and I am really good at organizational skills and planning ahead," said Cindy. "We love coming to work, we just enjoy it so much."
"It's fun," added Tamara. "It's nice having the different age eyes, we both do the buying so I have the 20-30 age group, and she has the 40-50 age group, so it's nice having that versatility," said Tamara.
The pair pride themselves on helping women look and feel their best. The store has many regular customers that come from all over the region, including Bradford, Barrie, Keswick, Aurora and Toronto.
So, what's trending this spring and summer season?
Wide leg pants, frayed hemlines, pastels, and bell sleeves, says Tamara.
Every fall, the store usually hosts a fashion show but has not been able to for the past few years due to the pandemic. They are hoping to be able to bring it back this year, pending restrictions.
"We miss those events," said Tamara.
The Pink Closet is located at 444 Holland St. West. To learn more, visit their website here.
