Village Squire, 1979-09, Page 19Women
in fashion
One of the resources that has remained untapped in most
communities until recent years is the intelligence and drive of
the female part of the population.
In small towns especially the pattern has been for a woman to
work outside the home until she starts to have children then quit.
She might go back to work after the children are old enough to be
more independent but if so it was liable to be for someone else.
This despite the fact that the female half of the population often
had higher education standards than the male.
Recent years have seen a boom in the number of businesses
started and run by women. The situation for the married
businesswoman is ideal. Usually hers is a second income in the
family and thus she can afford to forego a salary for a while in
order to let the business get on its feet. In addition more than one
woman is often involved to share the problems and the work
meaning the pressure isn't so hard on any one. Because the
economic pressure is not so strong, these women can get into
fields that they really enjoy, and not have to worry about making
the business profitable to live off right from the start.
One of the businesses that has been most open for the new
wave of businesswomen is the fashion industry. Retail clothing
has always been one of the strongest sources of women business
owners but it's grown by leaps and bounds in recent years as a
new energetic generation of women have decided to be their own
bosses. Here are the stories of two shops where women have
gotten together to fill a need in themselves and a need in their
community.
Two women, one idea
Joan Hemsworth and Joanne Dahl shared a dream
without even knowing it
It's hard to see how curling can lead to the fashion business
but without their interest in curling probably Joanne Dahl and
Joan Hemsworth wouldn't be operating The Clothes Line in
Listowel today.
Joanne recalls that she had always admired a little shop on
Listowel's main street called the Graham Hat Shop. She and her
husband moved to the town about 12 years ago. Her family was
getting to the age where she was having more free time on her
hands and she began to think about getting an outside interest.
She and her husband were at a curling bonspiel out of town
with Joan and her husband one weekend and between games the
ladies decided to go for a walk. Joanne talked about having to
find something to do with her time and mentioned her long
interest in the little shop. To her surprise Joan said she had
always loved the shop too. When shortly afterward the shop
came up for sale, they bought it. Neither had had any experience
in the business end of the clothing industry so the partnership
worked out fine, Joanne says. They'd have been too frightened
to go it alone but they worked together to help solve the
problems. When they survived the first year they really felt
they'd accomplished something, she says.
The shop has survived nearly two and a half year§ now and the
partners seem as happy as ever. Neither had had much
experience in clothing in a formal way before. Joanne used to
sew quite a bit which helps she says when it comes to buying for
the shop. Knowing about sewing helps someone look at a piece
and know if it will hang right she says. For Joanne the shop has
been just what she wanted, something to take up the extra time
and energy she had once her family was more independent.
Joan's family is still young and so the competing interests in
children and shop can cause more problems but they're worth it.
The name of the shop wasn't the only thing that was changed
when the new owners took over. They were advised by the
former owner to make some changes in lines. The shop though it
was called a hat shop has long since included other lines in its
inventory since hats weren't exactly the hottest selling item in
today's fashion world. It now had a line of expensive lingerie and
expensive sportswear as well as a selection of hats. The new
owners realized that they had to get more volumn of business so
they switched to selling a more Tedium -priced sportswear line.
September 19/9, Vwage Squire 17