When Michelle MacDonald was in her early 20s, she promised herself she’d own her own business before she was 30.
Not only did MacDonald open Trendy’s Clothing store by the time she was 29, but she’s been able to stay in business for the last 25 years.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” MacDonald says of Trendy’s longevity.
“I'm there almost everyday. If I'm not working there, I'm home doing something with it, whether it's books or writing ads or doing whatever, I'm physically involved on a daily basis.”
A learning experience
The descendent of several Antigonish business owners, MacDonald says her aspiration to own her own business “was in (her) blood.”
Intrigued by fashion and with a vacant commercial space up for sale on Wilkies Court, MacDonald decided to jump ship as a bookkeeper and open her own store.
She recalls the first few years in business as a learning experience.
“I didn’t know anything about it. I jumped in a truck with my younger brother and I headed to Montreal and pounded the streets of Montreal to buy stock, which wasn't the right way to do it. I didn't know that there (were) clothing shows,” she remembers with a chuckle.
“But there was just something about it that just caught me.”
Putting the time in
Fast forward to today, and you’ll see MacDonald has since found her footing in the industry.
Over the years Trendy’s has since acquired a handful of employees and expanded to include a home decor section and Trendy’s Shoe Shoppe, not to mention a relocation to its current multi-level location on South River Road 14 years ago.
“For the first few years, I worked everyday, six days a week. In the evenings I did my bookwork. On Sundays there was never a time that I didn't think about it or do something with it. Your first few years you really have to put the time in,” she says.
While MacDonald is grateful for the community’s support over the years, she acknowledges the growing popularity of online shopping and an abundance of retail stores in Halifax have caused some local customers to shop elsewhere.
“I'd just like to see more local shopping. That would be great,” she says.
‘People that care’
While MacDonald admits owning her own business continues to be demanding at times, it does have its rewards.
“It’s very easy to go to work. We always have a good time when we work. We have a lot of fun, we have a lot of laughs.”
MacDonald says her small workforce of women has been crucial to her success, and recalls a time her staff supported her while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“They came through and they helped out, and they pulled together and they worked with me. I didn't worry about a thing.”
Customer-turned-friend Lelia Machnik says she’s been a loyal patron of Trendy’s since the store’s opening after witnessing a kind act.
Machnik still remembers MacDonald helping the family member of a teenage boy who died pick out an outfit for his funeral and not charge them for the clothes.
“They went up to the cash to pay, and she said, 'don't worry about it.' I always remember that. To me, that's what buying local is all about. People that care. We live in Antigonish. We should support what's in our area.”
‘Very rewarding’
With retirement looming in the not-so-distant-future, MacDonald says her next and final move will be to the one-storey building across the road from her current location this spring or summer. Her shoe shop will relocate to the current Trendy’s building.
Of course, MacDonald says she isn’t ready to retire - just yet, anyways.
“I still like what I do and I want to keep doing it. It's not always easy, and it's sometimes not always fun, but it’s very rewarding.”
