Passionate about high-grade clothing, Julie Bianchi opened her store La Bottega in Downtown Guelph 41 years ago, offering high-end women's wear at the Wyndham Street location.
But due to a cultural shift in what people are looking for in clothing, La Bottega is closing.
"It's time," said Bianchi on Friday.
La Bottega is winding down, selling off its current inventory.
The 2,600 square-foot store is filled with apparel of distinguished quality from imported and Canadian designers for a clientele that looks for and cares about fabric.
“I always had a passion for finer quality merchandise like beautiful fabrics and nice workmanship,” says Bianchi.
“The new generation is not appreciative of quality. I consider them the disposable generation. They buy an item. They wear it once and they dispose of it.”
Bianchi moved to Guelph from Toronto in 1967. With no retail experience, she decided to turn her love of fabrics into a business. So she began to research places, learned along the way and stocked every corner of her store with a variety of fabrics while carrying comprehensive knowledge of every material.
So much so, that she could look at a material and name exactly what it is.
She says because of the quality of the clothing in her store, her customers accumulated pieces over the years and would visit her in the store to talk about it.
“That's the way it is. You buy a garment, you pay a little more, but the fabric, the way its made it's timeless,” says Bianchi.
She says she even offered free alterations for clothing in the store on the spot, something she says people of this generation are just not familiar with.
And as times have changed, she says the cultural shift in clothing and food can be seen throughout Downtown Guelph.
“Being Downtown Guelph, which I've always loved and always supported, there's no retail sector that's unique,” says Bianchi, adding that the core of the city is now filled with cafes for people to congregate as unique clothing stores die out.
She says as the seasons go by, she can see the transformation in people’s desire for clothing.
“Some days it's pretty sad to see when you open a door and you close it and nobody comes in,” says Bianchi.
With life-long friendships, memories and love for fabric that made her feel like she didn’t work a day in her life, a teary-eyed Bianchi says it has been quite a ride.
“Perhaps the time has come. Our clientele has aged, others have moved away and others have gone to heaven," says Bianchi.
