24 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 16, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Gwendolyn Shop says good-bye with their last sale The Gwendolyn Shop owner Fran Steiner is quite certain that her predecessors, Mrs. Madden and Mrs. Sillence, would be quite pleased by the longevity of their enterprises. It is said that all good things must come to an end. And this statement was never truer in the case of the lingerie shop on George Street in downtown Oakville. The Gwendolyn Shop has been a fixture of the town's retail landscape for the past 69 years. It first opened its doors for business in 1938 when its founder Mrs. Madden personally made right on the premises, all of the bras that her customers wore. The lingerie store then changed hands and Mrs. Sillence was the new proprietor.While she didn't make the bras she was expert at measuring and fitting women to a tee. Mrs. Sillence passed on these requisite `old fashioned' skills to Nancy Walker, an employee at the store for 22 years. She then trained Steiner, whose family purchased the store in 1973. "I am passionate about fitting bras, but it's time to move on," said Steiner. She's closing the local shop to focus her time and attention on her ladies wear clothing store on Plains Road West, in Burlington, called Evelyn's, which she's also been running for 23 years. "Part of me feels very sad about this closure because I've been here so long, that it feels like I'm leaving a part of myself behind," said Steiner. She plans to have a lingerie section in the back of her Burlington shop to keep a little of the Oakville days with her. Right now everything in the store is on sale at half price and less. On the upside though, Steiner is looking forward to an easier commute from her home in Dundas to the Burlington shop. Store Closing Sale Everything Must Go! Sale starts February 9th 30-70% OFF ALL MERCHANDISE Fine Lingerie Downtown Oakville Towne Square, Lakeshore at George St. 905-845-8802 Open Mon.-Sat. 10am-5:30pm, Sun. closed Small_PIONEER5_new.ai 11/21/2006 7:35:06 PM Canadian Sound is Oakville's exclusive dealer of Pioneer Elite products. Say hello to the leading edge of plasma technology. Never has so much passion, style and technology been packed into a slimmer space. Don't take our word for it. Visit our showroom and let your eyes judge for themselves. CHARLES AUSTIN ·SHOES· 232 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville 905-845-5582 GNIRPS FO HCUOT A