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Rowan Clothing opens doors in new, renovated location on Main Street

Rowan Clothing Co. is the newest tenant on the main drag of Main Street, after moving from their location on River Street during the pandemic shutdown

Owner Heathir Coakwell had to close the doors to Rowan Clothing Co. back in March just like every other retail location following provincial mandates during the pandemic, but it was less frustrating to do as she had big plans on the horizon already.

Rowan Clothing Co., previously located on River Street, was right in the middle of a location move, and the pandemic shutdown was only a small blip on the radar for Coakwell.

The clothing store reopened on June 1 in its new location on the corner of Fairford Street and Main Street, in the corner boutique space that previously held fellow clothing store Gingerbread Square. 

“We love both spaces, and this one is more what we needed,” said Coakwell. “We’re so happy that it became available at the right time, and it feels like just the right move.”

Coakwell snatched up the property back in January and set to work on extensive renovations of the space almost immediately — with the finishing touches wrapping up the day before the store’s reopening.

Coakwell said she wanted to create a very chic, modern feel in the new storefront, reminiscent of the famous SoHo shopping district in New York City, and she’s quite happy with the results of her hard work.

“This building was built in 1912 and we just ripped right back to the bones of the building and kept them exposed, and we love it the way it is, just really simple,” said Coakwell. 

The new location is larger than the storefront on River Street, said Coakwell, but Rowan Clothing Co. was ready to grow. With the move, the store will be able to offer larger quantities of merchandise and expand its product lines to include more options for customers.

“We’re going for a little more elevated, upscale feel, to what we were before,” said Coakwell. “Before, we were quite casual, and now we’re still quite casual but a little more upscale as well.”

The COVID-19 closures that swept the province in March happened right in the middle of Coakwell’s project, and while it was an unexpected twist, she didn’t feel like it affected her progress too much.

“Back in January, no one knew anything about [what was coming] and then come March, it was like full-blown madness. It was like, ‘what have we done?’ But it all worked out in the end,” said Coakwell. “It was very bizarre, having almost the whole business shut down, but hopefully we’ll just look back on it as a weird time that we’ll just try to forget.”

Rowan Clothing Co. navigated the closure by directing customers to its online store, which meant Coakwell and her staff were well prepared to reopen in the new space come June.

“I think a lot of people assumed we were closed because of the pandemic when we didn’t open back up on May 18, when we were allowed to,” said Coakwell. “But we are still open, we’ve just moved.”

For Coakwell, being able to finally open her doors after several months of renovations and relying on online sales brings both a feeling of relief and excitement. 

“We’re just really happy to be open again, and in the new space, and we’re excited to show it off,” said Coakwell. “People should just come check out the new space, let us know how they feel.”

Customer reception at the new location has been positive so far, and Coakwell is looking forward to the future of Rowan Clothing Co. on the corner of Main Street — a very successful location for the previous tenants, and hopefully for the new ones too.

Rowan Clothing Co. is now located at 304 Main Street North and is open daily. 

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