Passage of Seasons: Whitehorse women's fashion store closing after 34 years
Fashions have come and gone, but the bond between these sister entrepreneurs has been constant
Some of Greta Gray and Maureen Nielsen's earliest memories are of working in the family stores in Whitehorse.
"Oh yes, from the early days we would be in Hougen's department stores on Sundays, filling the candy shelves, and filling up the school bags in September — and so, yeah, we grew up in retail," Gray said.
Now the two sisters — children of pioneering Yukon entrepreneur Rolf Hougen — are getting ready to close the till. In November, they'll retire and shut the doors at their women's clothing store, Seasons, for good.
It's been a Main Street Whitehorse mainstay for 34 years, since it opened as an offshoot of the larger family business.
"Our dad had asked if we wanted to become partners in the Hougen's ladies department store," recalled Nielsen. "And we thought, well you know, that might be kind of fun."
Seasons soon got its own name — and a loyal customer base. The sisters say their goal from the beginning was to ensure that women in Yukon didn't need to fly to Vancouver or Edmonton to find the latest styles.
"34 years ago, you know, just the cost of trying to fly 'Outside' was huge," Nielsen said. "So, many people couldn't go 'Outside' to shop. Other people would go out maybe once or twice a year."
"We've got customers that we remember helping when we were 20 years old, upstairs on the second floor of the Hougen Centre — and they're still coming to Seasons maybe with, you know, they've got adult children now. It's pretty neat," Nielsen said.
'Never a down'
Fashions come and go (and then come back again, "usually with a small little twist," says Gray), and the retail world is ever-evolving, but there's been one constant at Seasons — the close bond between the sister entrepreneurs.
Gray says they both have their strengths, with Nielsen enjoying the paperwork and bookkeeping, while Gray prefers dealing directly with customers on the shop floor. They say their 34-year business partnership has been rock-solid.
"Never a down," said Nielsen.
"We get along incredibly well. We have to almost call each other in the morning to make sure we're not going to wear the same thing, because we're so connected."
"How nice to be able to carpool every morning with your sister!" Gray added.
They're looking forward to the next couple of months, and the chance to spend a bit more time with some loyal customers. They're still unpacking boxes and receiving new stock, Neilsen says.
Neither of them has any firm plans for their retirement, beyond spending more time at their rural properties.
"If you talk to my husband, he's hoping I'll get on a tractor a little bit more," Nielsen laughed. "I've got a couple of horses to ride and you know, maybe keep training some dogs."
Gray said she's excited to have more time for family — including the ones she's not in business with.
"I have a new baby grandson that I'm looking forward to spending time with, and then we'll see. I'm open to possibilities," she said.
Written by Paul Tukker, based on interviews by Elyn Jones