Village Squire, 1978-03, Page 13On her own
Loree Gammie solved the problem of
unemployment among the young. She started
her own business.
Loree Gammie looks ower some of the merchandise in her
Lucknow shop.
For many students these days, graduation is something both
looked forward too and dreaded. Once it was the beginning of a
bright new life, a life of prosperity. Today for many it is the
beginning of heart -breaking months, even years of looking for
the right job.
It was no problem for Loree Gammie though; she started her
own business. Today she's the owner of Loree's Ladies Wear,
the newest clothing store in Lucknow and a bright addition to the
shopping area of the village.
Not that she had to invent a job for herself on graduation. She
and other graduates of Sheridan College's Retail Management
Arts course have found a ready market for themselves. Loree
went to work for the Hudson's Bay Company in Bramalea upon
graduating, but she soon realized that city life wasn't for her. So
she began to think of ways of putting her talents and training to
work in an environment she enjoyed more.
It was then that the idea of opening her own shop came up. At
home in Lucknow, she discussed the idea with her family. Her
father Ross thought it over and agreed with her. He looked at the
available real estate in the village and decided an old store that
used to house a bake shop was the best location. The family
bought the building and then the fun began.
Loree admits now that they went into the project a little blind.
Her teachers at Sheridan had instilled a feeling that "you can do
anything you want to do" in the students. If she'd known then
what she knows now, she says, she might have decided to wait a
few more years before striking out on her own. it might not have
been so hard on her nervous system, she says with a smile.
On the other hand she's single and doesn't have anyone to
look out for but herself and she's living at home which helps keep
her costs down so she can perhaps afford to take a chance more
at her age than later in life. Besides, she says, she'd have hated
to have gotten used to getting a regular paycheque and then
have to do without it while the business built up.
It was nearly two years ago this summer that the building was
purchased. Then began the long job of renovating the building to
house the new store. Her father and brothers worked on the
renovations and Loree worked as a receptionist and book-keeper
at the Benmiller Inns for the next few months until Feb. 1977.
The book-keeping experience came in handy and she also got
used to meeting a lot of people.
But after February it was a period of full-time work before the
shop was ready to open April 1, of last year. The family
VILLAGE SQUIRE/MARCH 1978, PG. 11.