The fine fashion store was her husband’s idea. For 10 years they ran Campbell’s department store at Trail Bay Centre. They also ran an ice cream parlour and other businesses, too.
Neil Campbell came from a farm in Prince Edward Island, but he had an eye for stylish clothing. “He phoned me one day and said how about opening a store in Teredo Square? There’s room for you,” said Marilyn Campbell, owner of Maribel’s Fine Fashions in Sechelt. That was 1979.
Marilyn came by it honestly. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, her home didn’t have hot water. It did have a sewing machine. Her mother taught her to dress well.
In 1980, around Christmas, Marilyn ran an ad in the paper thanking her customers “who have made my store’s progress possible.”
“I started on a shoestring. I just had customers right off that liked quality,” said Marilyn standing near the cash register, a face mask covering her smile. Nearby, Canadian labels such as Picadilly and Joseph Ribkoff rubbed shoulders with Simon Chang.
There’s more to Maribel’s than fashion. Arranged on racks at the back of the store are neat collections of bras; swimwear is arranged nearby. Marilyn is a certified prosthetics fitter. About 50 breast cancer survivors have relied on her service.
Marilyn’s tried and true principles of customer service and quality products have kept the progress going for four decades – past surging interest rates in the 1980s, a sluggish economy in the early ’90s, the downturn after the 2008 financial crisis.
In the bloom of this year’s spring fashion season, the momentum finally withered. She began hearing news about COVID-19. She cancelled her autumn purchasing appointments – she didn’t want to get sick. Then the public health measures took effect. Her cash flow “just fell into the abyss.”
After 40 years in business, it was time to close for good.
“Due to my circumstances and present events, I feel that I am forced into retirement with profound regret,” Marilyn told Coast Reporter.
Maribel’s Fine Fashions isn’t the only retailer to feel the free fall. In a recent survey of Sunshine Coast businesses, 85 per cent of respondents reported a drop in revenue and 27 per cent of businesses have closed, with no revenue coming in. About 80 per cent of those respondents were small business owners like Marilyn.
While some businesses have adapted by drumming up sales online, Marilyn attracted sales with face-to-face service. The format wouldn’t work for her, and the logistics were too much.
In March, Maribel’s was nominated for a Business Excellence Award. “The people are the thing that make most businesses successful, particularly in this case,” said Sechelt Chamber of Commerce chair John Henderson.
He expects her business won’t be the last to permanently close because of COVID-19. A survey from the B.C. Chamber of Commerce in March found about half of businesses owners surveyed expect to shutter temporarily. Those findings are “really, really worrying,” Henderson said. “I don’t see any reason why we would be different.”
Closing a business isn’t easy during a pandemic.
Marilyn is hoping to sell the bulk of her inventory by the end of May. Consignment stores aren’t open to take hangers, fixtures and the décor from her shop.
Many people Marilyn’s age have already retired. She turns 84 in May, the same month she plans to close up shop. She has already laid off her one part-time employee.
“I’ve made a lot of ladies feel better about themselves, and I’ve enjoyed just about every moment. Sharing stories, hugs. And I’ve shared my faith a bit as well. It’s my faith that’s keeping me grounded,” said Marilyn.
Besides, she said, unlike other rural communities, the options are plentiful for ladies wear on the Sunshine Coast.
But not everyone sees it that way. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Ruby Airth, a customer who has shopped at Maribel’s even before retiring on the Sunshine Coast 27 years ago. “I’m going to miss that store.”
– With files from Sean Eckford
