Sudbury boutique owner to retire after an 56 years downtown

After an incredible 56 years in business, a Sudbury boutique owner has decided to retire and close her shop.

Jan Browning will close the doors to her beloved women's clothing and accessory store on Tuesday.

"We did have two years of shutdown and it was not pleasant, it was hard to manoeuvre things and then there was the situation in getting stock and things like that and then the situation of not being open for your customers," said Browning.

She's moved a few times around the city, but her pleasant smile and fashion sense have become a constant women in Sudbury can rely on.

Her trademark flower sign has hung in its current spot on Durham Street for roughly 15 years.

While it's been a lot of hard work, she said it was also a lot of fun.

"Every year and every season, the fashions would change in the '60s and '70s," said Browning. "Styles would change right up until the shutdown and now people are starting to dress up again and think of pretty things to wear."

"I would have lots of fun buying things in Paris in those days from the runways -- Montreal was really hopping," she added.

Browning said one thing she was most proud of was seeing how quickly the city would adapt to changing trends, particularly at a time when there wasn't as much reliance on television.

But it's the camaraderie and the spirit of downtown she'll miss the most. She said she's leaving just when downtown is starting to see a resurgence.

"It won't be the way it was," Browning said.

"It'll be brand new, but it'll still be full of people, full of young people -- all kinds of interesting things going on."

"It's a great thing to celebrate 56 years in business. I'm also an entrepreneur and that's all I could hope for in my life. There's people to aspire to, there's people to look up to," said Kyle Marcus, of the Downtown Sudbury BIA.

Browning said it's been an incredible 56 years, a time she wouldn't trade for anything.

"I don't know if it feels like it's been more but it's been a very long, enjoyable ride," she said.

Browning plans to spend a lot of time focusing on family, her dog and her art. No word yet on what will be going into the space on Durham Street.