Carlyle has a new place for women to shop.
Business owner Ken King officially unveiled his newest venture One-twenty-two Main Fashion Boutique during a celebration held March 25th. It is the sister store to King's Department Store, which opened in 1982.
"One-twenty-two Main will have a character all of its own, but plans on following the same format as we've run here at King's for many years - and that's basically listening to you the customer, doing what's right for you and enjoying every step of the way," King told people crowded into King's for the unveiling of one-twenty-two.
People were treated to a lunch of sandwiches and coffee prepared by Eight Words Cafe, fruit platters and of course, cake, during the grand opening celebration. Everyone wandered patiently around King's, while awaiting the moment when one-twenty-two Main officially opened to the public.
"When [we] started doing this, we talked about the vision for this store and who the customer is, and honestly, there has been more discussion about this store than anything that we've ever done," Kingf started off his speech. "Let me tell you, it's a heck of a challenge. We're talked to lots of retailers, we've talked to lots of you and we're certainly willing to listen to you, because we know over the next number of years, we've got a lot to learn about being in the fashion business."
He kindly requested feedback from customers and potential customers, saying he wants to cater to them. Simply put, if the customers don't like what he's doing, he's prepared to make changes.
But judging from the turnout and the comments overheard by shoppers once the store was unveiled, King will see great success.
King acknowledged people who were key in helping to prepare the building including North American Lumber in Carlyle, Heather Truman, The Floor Store, Roger Meyer, SaskTel, The Observer, Marceline Hardy, Pioneer Plumbing and Heating, Paul Twietnmeyer with Moose Mountain Woodworks, and many more he named just by first names.
"Do you how hard it is to find a seamstress? It's a dying art," King said to the people crowded into the store, in regards to the assistance he's received from Marceline Hardy over the years. "Some seamstresses have had it to here with hemming pants, Marceline gets excited when we give her work. Let me tell you, that is so nice. She is such a key part of what we do. We ship stock to her every day. She sends it back, every day. It's amazing. Marceline, thank you for everything you do."
"Paul," King continued, "has a stamp on pretty much everything in this building. It's all his woodwork, his ideas. The little things that he did - he just took it and ran with it. He understood when I was over my head and just said, 'Ken, I'll do that. Ken, I'll get that done.'"
Of course, the business owner couldn't forget the people he surrounds himself with every day.
"How about the people who have been putting up with the dirt, dust, moving of boxes and all the stress and unrest on my shoulders - and I'm not talking about my wife here. The staff have been incredible to this point. Thank you to you guys for everything you have done. You made it what it is."
Leading up to the grand ribbon cutting event, King invited two Carlyle Main Street icons to assist him.
"I want to talk about two legends from Main Street Carlyle. There's a guy who set the bar, and I'm going to invite him up here to hold part of the ribbon. He set the bar - 43 years he was on Main Street buying and selling merchandise, and making downtown Carlyle what it is. With that, I'd like to invite up Boyd Cochrane."
"The other end of the ribbon is going to be held by a lady who is pretty near and dear to all of us at this store - this someone was our neighbour for 20 years. She was there all the time, right next door. She was always a sweetheart to us and we enjoyed having her. When it was time for her to move on, it was time for us to step in. Of course, this is my good friend Judy Feduk."
Lastly, he invited his staff to join him on this landmark event, as he cut the ribbon and officially opened one-twenty-two Main to the public.
"I was very happy with the turnout [and] the excitement it created," said King after the opening. "People really responded. We were able to have the first step positive when it comes to one-twenty-two."
