Luxe closing up in January

It’s been seven and a half years since Luxe Ladies Fashion Boutique opened its doors. On Jan. 30, they will be closing them.

Store owner Sherry Molema and her daughter Lindsay made the announcement recently.

“We’ve been doing this for over 38 years and we maybe need another challenge,” said Molema.

“For now, we’ll close, regroup, and who knows what is up our sleeve.” Sherry added.

Luxe’s faithful customers have had a unanimous reaction to the announcement.

“They’re sad, but they understand that 38 years is a long time,” she said.

Molema, who was raised in the area, has spent her retail career in Chatham-Kent, as the former owner of Colonial Nurseries and Garden Centre alongside her late husband, Perry, and most recently as the owner of Luxe.

“It was always kind of a dream,” Sherry said of owning a fashion business.

”We started out small and we grew,” said added.

More than a year ago, Luxe expanded with the addition of Luxe Plus, to meet the demand for plus-size clothing.

Like her store, Sherry and her family have been a fixture to downtown Chatham, and an enthusiastic supporter of community events. She has been involved in numerous projects over the years including the recent Fashion’s Night Out and fundraising for various charities.

Over the years, she said she has seen a significant change in downtown Chatham, especially in tourism.

“I’ve seen a huge growth in the downtown. It’s become more vibrant. Lots of local people and lots of out-of-towners,” she said, adding the influx was helped by events such as RetroFest.

She encourages people to stop in at the King Street store location, and take advantage of the significant savings on everything from clothes and jewelery to the mannequins and fixtures.

With her looming time off, Sherry is looking forward to enjoying spending it with her family.

“We’re very active in the community so you’ll probably still see me downtown every day,” she said.

Sherry added she will gladly step forward to offer her ideas to help benefit the downtown core further, if asked. Until then, she doesn’t see an end with the closing of her store, but as a chance to step back and reflect.

“I’m happy to have been involved in the Chatham community for as long as we have been.”