MENSWEAR NOW AVAILABLE AT MICHELE'S DOORWAY TO SPLENDOUR

Michele's Doorway to Splendour now offers men's and women's clothing.

Owner Michele Baitley has expanded into the world of men's fashion — providing a much-needed addition to an underserved local market.

The official grand opening of the store's men's section, Men's Splendid Apparel, happened in tandem with the store's eighth anniversary on Thursday, Feb. 16.

"I feel very excited and very glad that it's finally here," said Baitley. "It's been a journey since last July. Now that it's official, it's exciting."

Baitley said she was inspired to create a men's section because she knew the demand was there for higher-quality men's clothing.

Coun. Stephen Robinson affirmed options for menswear in town are limited.

"Unless you want to buy stuff from Giant Tiger or Walmart, it's been underserviced," he said of the location options for men's clothing. "I think it's going to help keep people in Smiths Falls."

Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston MPP John Jordan agreed.

"I use Conway's (Conway's Men's Wear) a lot in Perth before I would go to Ottawa," he said. "More is better, choice is good."

The formation of the menswear section was made possible through a $10,000 grant from My Main Street — a $23.25-million investment to help drive business and restore vibrancy to local communities across southern Ontario in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Last year, the Smiths Falls and District Chamber of Commerce was able to implement the Local Business Accelerator program in Smiths Falls with support from the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario — bringing $100,000 in funding

to new and existing businesses as well as invaluable market research data.

"We are working hard to support our business community and we are delighted to congratulate Michele on her achievement," said Vanessa Dow, My Main Street ambassador for the chamber.

Nora Schlathau, the co-ordinator for the Smiths Falls Downtown Business Association, said she's happy to see Baitley's business growing and more options for shoppers being brought to the downtown.

"It just shows that we're expanding our reach and bringing new business into the downtown, which is fantastic," she said. "It's great that Michele got to take the lead on that. She's been established for a while now, so it's great to see her business growing thanks to that grant."