There is resurgence downtown as Timmins-owned clothing stores look to the city’s core to run speciality shops to serve their clients.
“The downtown area is attractive for entrepreneurs just getting started because they have more flexible hours and can rent smaller spaces to get started,” said Noella Rinaldo, executive director of the Downtown Timmins Business Association.
“In a mall, the store owner is committed to being open daily until the mall closes its doors at 9 p.m.,” explained Rinaldo. “Renting in a standalone space with street access, they can set their hours according to their needs or their customers needs, or work a more conventional 9-5 work day.”
Rinaldo also points out there are 3,000 people working in the downtown area that provide stores with customers who can drop by during lunch hours or on their way home after work.
Rinaldo also noted that small business owners are fiercely independent, and being downtown they can differentiate themselves from the chain stores and market unique lines and products that appeal to their customers.
Mi Casa Fashion Boutique on Second Ave. and Balsam St. S. exemplifies this.
"People will travel far and wide to find clothes that are well designed and unique, and that is what makes Mi Casa unique,” said owner Chasa (pronounced Casa) Viel. “It’s in the heart of downtown Timmins and you don’t have to travel to Toronto, Montreal or New York.”
Mi Casa Fashion Boutique has been in operation for seven years and was previously located on Pine St. S. of Algonquin Ave. East.
“It is a boutique for both men and women,” explained Chasa Viel. “I try to bring in the latest fashions from down south.”
“What you find in Mi Casa is unique and not mass produced like the products you would find at Walmart or the Square,” Viel said.
The name of the store is a play on her name plus the Italian and Spanish word for house.
Loyal Mi Casa Fashion shopper Sherry Tremblay agrees that uniqueness of the fashion offered at the boutique is what draws her to shop there.
“This is where I shop,” said Tremblay. “This is where I get my clothes and when people see me wearing the fashions I have bought at Mi Casa, they always remark how good the clothes look.”
“I like the fact that it is unique in Timmins,” said Tremblay. “Chasa only selects one item in each size.”
“I also like the fact that it is small and quaint and friendly,” explained Tremblay.
Tremblay also likes the location.
“You will always find parking on Second Avenue,“ she said. “And sometimes I don’t feel like driving all the way to the west end to shop at the Square.”
One draw back is that there is a lot less foot traffic along Second Ave., but word of mouth helps draw people to the store. In addition, events like Urban Park and Bacon Fest help to draw people to the area.
“It would be nice to have an Urban Park closure on Second Avenue,” said Viel.
Some of the other boutiques and clothing stores cited by Rinaldo are Lemongrass, located in the Palace Plaza on Third Avenue. Lemongrass sells gift items and clothing.
Another shop also in the Palace Plaza is Chic Baby and Kids Boutique which was located in South Porcupine but moved to downtown Timmins because there was more potential customer traffic.
Jories Clothing on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and Pine St. S. has been a fixture in the downtown clothing business.
A more recent addition is across the street from Jories --- Bella’s Boutique
Holly Doyon opened Bella’s Boutique in March, 2016 and it was the opportunity to brand her store as unique and different from the chain stores in Timmins Square that attracted here to the downtown.
“There is much more competition at the Square, you cannot compete with the chains,” explained Doyon. “But in the downtown, we have customers here who find our location convenient for them to shop as it close where they work,” she said.
And like Chasa Viel, Holly Doyon provides lines that are unique that chains don’t carry.
As part of her branding of Bella’s Boutique, Doyon said she was trying to bring back the idea and spirit of Kay’s Tots and Teens store.
“It was a landmark in Timmins and operated for 60 years and a lot of people still miss it,” Doyon said.
For information on Bella’s Boutique click here.
For a retrospective on Kay’s Tots and Teens click here.
Councillor Rick Dubeau, who like Noella Rinaldo represents City of Timmins Ward 5, thinks specialty clothing boutiques play an important role in the vitality of the Downtown core.
“I think it’s great to see them succeed,” said Councillor Dubeau. “The shops are unique and the provide a service to the community.”
“They help keep the downtown alive,” he added.
Note: This is the first of several articles in which TimminsToday will examine the successes and challenges facing downtown Timmins
