Lac Boutique owners Lisa Crowley and husband Chris Robinson at their new store on High Street in Southampton, opening March 15.

Hub Staff

A love of fashion and art is how Lac Boutique, Saugeen Shores' newest fashion store, was born, said owner Lisa Crowley. Set to open its doors at its new Southampton location on Thursday, March 15, the store is located at 195 High Street, formerly Infinite Lingerie and Kimberley’s By The Shore.

Crowley and her husband Chris Robinson purchased the building from Kim Beirnes, owner of Kimberley’s, in May but didn’t start doing any work to the building until September. “We've been doing the work since then to turn it into what we want,” she said.

Originally from Ottawa, Crowley said that she and her husband lived for several years in Toronto before moving to Collingwood and that they now split their time between Collingwood and Southampton to run the business. “We’ve got a house here, we love it here,” she said. “It's finally where we want to be.”

A lot of thought has gone into the suitable business name, said Crowley. “‘Lac’ being the French word for lake and I've always loved French fashion, that easy, effortless way that the French can put things together is what I want for here, so Lac Boutique is in honour of the French fashion,” she said, adding that ‘Lac’ is also the intials of her name, Lisa Ann Crowley.

For the last few months the couple has been busy with renovations. “We wanted to make it a space that is an experience of shopping, where it's an event, where there's good music playing and it's a place you want to spend time in that feels homey. That's the goal of this,” Crowley said.

Lac Boutique will offer “head to toe” apparel for women of all ages including clothing, shoes, hats, jewellery and accessories, said Crowley adding that it’s about versatility. “You can take almost every piece in here and dress it up or down,” she said.

Crowley explained that she put a lot of focus on Canadian made brands with some lines from the United States and European countries such as Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. “I like the buy local story and I like the buy Canadian made when possible,” she said, adding that she tried to find brands that had their own story to tell. “I also went with brands that are not as easily available online.”

Crowley said she plans to hold events at the store and hopes to involve other local retailers. “For sure fashion shows but I would like to engage the community as well because what I think is good for one retailer or merchant is good for all of us,” she said, adding that she hopes Lac Boutique will help bring traffic to Southampton.

Lac Boutique will open 7 days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information visit lacboutique.com or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/lacboutique.

Lac Boutique will offer head to toe apparel for women of all ages with many Canadian lines and others from Europe and the United States.

A homey atmosphere was the goal for shoppers to enjoy their experience while at the Southampton store.

The store’s light and bright changing rooms at Lac Boutique.

Lighting reminiscent of a large skylight is one of the many features to be found at Lac Boutique on High Street in Southampton.