A swift outpouring of support on social media has followed the announcement that local shop Simply Lovely Lingerie & Swim Boutique is closing in August.
While expressing gratitude to her “wonderful customers, creators, friends, and neighbours,” Judy Hribar acknowledged, “it is time to retire.”
Looking forward to something new is a positive experience, “but first,” says Hribar, “for six months, I’m going to sleep.”
Simply Lovely originally opened in Hanover, but moved to Stratford 25 years ago. After Hribar purchased the business, she moved it to its current space on Wellington Street in 2018.
“My store is designed for the mature woman, and all of the challenges that the mature woman faces; so, I’ve been buying products with that in mind,” says Hribar. While ever-popular with her loyal clientele, the post-pandemic economic climate has necessitated closure. “In my career, which has spanned twenty-five years — beginning with my gift store in Toronto — I have been through SARS, then MERS, and the 2008 financial crisis, but those were short-lived, so it didn’t take too long to recover.”
Passionate about her customers, Hribar enthuses that, “I do this because I love it. I do this because I want to help people with our specialty.” However, since the pandemic, tourists, particularly from the U.S., have still not come back in the same numbers. “I used to see ladies that would come to Stratford for a whole week, but I haven’t seen them since the pandemic started,” says Hribar.
Last fall, Hribar made a shopping-reconnaissance trip to the U.S. and discovered the extent to which costs have risen south of the border. This has impacted the discretionary ability of her American clientele to travel and shop here in Stratford. “I used to go into a McDonalds, and would see that what cost us $7 here in Canada would cost them $5 in the U.S. What’s happening now is it’s costing $7 in the U.S., and so they’re facing higher costs.” This forces consumers to prioritize, and disposable income to suffer.
Moreover, the retail environment is changing with the popularity of online shopping. Hribar believes that to convert to a digital platform and provide support for it would demand too much time and money for maintenance.
To ride out economic downturns, Hribar says, “you have to cut where you can cut; don’t buy as much inventory; and be careful what you buy.” Operating the business on her own has saved her, because she’s had no employees to pay, which has alleviated some of the burden of paying bills.
One week ago, Hribar put everything in the store on sale until closing on August 10. Everything has to be sold: lingerie, bras, swimwear, cover-ups, summer clothing, giftware and accessories.
“I am going to miss all my customers, because everyday somebody walks through that door with a different need, and when I satisfy that need, they feel happy about getting the right fit. It’s an instant gratification,” says Hribar, which is shared between her and her customers.
Though she is closing this chapter, Hribar leaves with the joy of knowing that she has helped “to make the mature woman feel simply lovely.”
