Despite the economic highs and lows, Margie McGuire beat the odds and marked a significant milestone in her career
It’s Aug. 15, 1985, a not-so-typical Thursday in the small town of Woodstock. On this day, the community welcomed a new business that would become a local gem in the years to come.
At the age of 23, Margie McGuire made her lifelong dream a reality by opening her clothing store Fashion Today. This year, McGuire is celebrating forty years of her business.
“I always had the dream that I wanted to have my own store. I followed my dream,” said McGuire.
The entrepreneur initially aimed for 25 years of business, but thanks to the small community, she believes she could make it to 50 years. McGuire values the close-knit relationships with her customers and the familiarity within the community.
McGuire says her involvement in the community as an active member in the Chamber of Commerce and BIA, along with being the head coach of the artistic swimming club, has helped people get to know her and her business better.
“You’ve got to be involved to be healthy, so people know who you are. It makes a difference. It’s a great community. I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” said McGuire.
Despite the positive reaction, McGuire has faced some challenges as a business owner. Starting her business in the 1980s, she had to endure high interest rates that peaked at 20 per cent, along with adapting to various global and economic shifts around every five years. She also had to navigate the COVID-19 downturn.
McGuire faced a significant hurdle as a female entrepreneur. Starting her business at a young age was difficult, and the fact that she was entering a male-dominated field made it remarkably challenging. McGuire faced a lack of institutional support due to societal norms.
“Being a female in a basically still man’s world, dealing with banking and everybody else, because, you know, you need to have a man behind you. I didn’t have a man behind me,” said McGuire.
McGuire’s secret to maintaining resilience during hardships is staying persistent and keeping a clear head. To her, the key to longevity in retail is maintaining relevance and stability in a changing retail landscape.
Looking into the future, McGuire hopes to continue serving clientele and attending Canadian fashion shows. Supporting Canadian designers is very important to McGuire; 15 years ago, she grew her inventory from 70 to 100 per cent.
“All the sales reps thought I was nuts, thinking that I could carry on. A lot of Canadian-made stuff because people didn’t care about that stuff. They were wrong. People really did care,” said McGuire.
With her hard work and success, Fashion Today will continue to be McGuire’s fashion of tomorrow, and she is excited to continue her journey, even 40 years later.
