Lakeshore Advance, 2012-07-11, Page 16Bonnie
,
Hans DeJong,
Brenda a
Judy
Farhat and
Johnson are
members of the
Milli staff at
��.�
Bend Co'
, a landmark spot
gon the village's
main drag,
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 • Lakeshore Avance 3
Customers are like family atDeJong's
Lakeshore Advance staff
Lakeshore Advance
As a young girl, growing up in Poland,
Brenda Deicing %vas elected to work in
the cooperative, a department store
with a little bit of everything.
Flash forward to 201 1, in a land far
away, and yott will find that same
smiling face greeting people in the shop,
along the strip in (;rand Bend.
Brenda says while she first emigrated
from Iloliand to Canada in 19411 with
her husband, Peter, the couple did not
settle in Grand Bend till about 1950,
"We must have moved to 14 places,"
says Brenda, That is, until they found
themselves along the Lakeshore,
"We fell in love with the lake," says
Brenda, who has been operating
[)elong's Grand Bend clothing Co store,
which originally started off as a
hamburger stand in 1959.
"Burgers were not for me," laughs
Brenda.
Instead, Brenda and her husband,
who passed away in 1971, began offer-
ing up men's, women's and children's
apparel. As their children Judy and
I Ions grew, they, too began helping out
at the shop given the family lived just
above it.
The belongs fondly recall metmlries
04.1
om that era, including when the air
orce base was still open so (rand Bend
was even more thriving than it is today,
"It was like the Canada Day crowd
every day here," recalls Judy I)eJong-
Farhat who still works at the store with
her mons, brother, one other full-time
and three part-time staff.
While there have been innumerable
changes in fashion and styles over the
past five decades, the belongs say one
thing has never (hanged,
"I love every minute of meeting
people," says Brenda, who says if there
is one thing she misses it is when the
village was open for business year-
round and had amenities that included
a beachfront casino, a bowling alley and a delicious fish -and -
chips spot.
As far as fashion goes, Brenda says the biggest shocker for
her over the years is when men's shirts began retailing
for $7,99,
"I thought n(1 one would ever pay that price," she says,
adding she also fondly recalls when very pretty dresses
retailed for $15.
"I believe fashions have come a long wily, the right %vity,' she
adds.
Judy adds she remembers her dad earning the reputation its
the "Candy King" as he sold sugary treats, including
candy -floss straight from a floss machine.
Today, visitors to the (rand Bend landmark will find brand
name, stylish, top quality merchandise for the whole family;
many of which are exclusive In the area to theta and their
sister store Splash. Some of these brands include: Bench,
Point Zero, Mexx, and more.
They also carry funky jewellery, handbags, footwear and
giftware, malty of which were created by Canadian designers.
"We try to bury Canadian as much as possible but it can be
difficult," says Judy, noting most clothing manufacturers are
now located overseas,
And while decades ago most of the store's clothing was
purchased in 'Toronto, Judy now finds herself travelling to
Vancouver, Montreal, and elsewhere for the newest trends.
"We offer great styles at competitive pricing," says Judy.
"We want to early something for everybody."
In addition to Grand Bend Clothing Co, being a recogniza-
ble landmark in (rand Bend, Splash, their sister store, contin-
ues the legacy for a new generation anti younger crowd.
During the summer months, Judy's daughters Brenda and
Brittany buy, merchandise, a11(i manage the store, I lowever,
both daughters are pursuing other careers, Brenda has
obtained two degrees from the University of Western Ontario:
an Honors Specialization in Political Science, Major
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while younger sister Brittany has
graduated from Television Broadcasting
and is finishing her post -grad in
Advanced Filmmaking.
The DeJongs and Farhats have been
working side by side for decades and the
plan is to keep it that way.
"We love %vorking together," says Judy.
"We want people to know we're here and
we've always got some great merchan-
dise arriving, we are now receiving the
new fall collection for 2011 and it is
looking great!"
"I love people. I just love people
coming in ... even if they are just coming
in to say hi; echoes Brenda.
Visit 1)elong's Grand Bend Clothing,
located at 47 Main St., Grand Bend, from
10 a.m. till 7 p.m., Monday through Sat-
urday. 'Ihe business keeps regular hours
through Thanksgiving, and then is open
only on weekends until Christmastime.
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS!
ALL ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL
Friday @ 2:00 pm
Office Hours: Mon. & Fri. - 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tues. - Thurs. 9:00 am - 5:00 pm