Saint-Roch’s fabric store, Tania Textiles, is closing its doors on April 13 after more than 60 years. The Saint-Joseph Street store has served thousands of loyal customers since it was founded by an avant-garde entrepreneur.
“I did it,” explains Tania Textiles owner Serge Vincent. The 73-year-old is going into well-deserved retirement after 45 years in the family business.
“I’ve suffered two deaths in the last few years, that of my mother who died in 2021 and recently that of not seeing customers every day. [à partir du mois d’avril] “, he notices.
Serge Vincent had promised to keep the family business running as long as his mother, Antonia Coderre, lived. “She was the one who started this adventure and I didn’t want to know how to end it before saying goodbye to her for good. »
pioneer
Born in Acton Vale in 1929, Mrs Coderre developed a passion for textiles while working in a shoe factory. One day she decided to start her own fabric shop in her hometown. A few years later, she moved her operations to Saint-Hyacinthe, where she continued to develop her brand.
“My mother was quite an entrepreneur. When my parents got divorced, she had to leave everything behind and moved to Quebec with her children, confides Mr. Vincent. Once there, she found this local Saint-Joseph for rent and founded Tania Textiles based on her nickname. I grew up there. »
Serge Vincent says the family business used to have three premises on Rue Saint-Joseph. “Back then the world didn’t have enough money to just buy nice clothes in stores. We sold fabric! Eventually the shopping center was at the end of the street and we had to bring our operations back to just one square. »
Nobody to take the torch
After several years of looking for a buyer for Tania Textiles, the 70-year-old entrepreneur had to reconcile the sale of the building. “I had an interested buyer, but she never made me a specific offer,” he regrets.
Finally, last December, a group of Quebec investors offered to buy the three-story building. “We have had several visits from people interested in maintaining the commercial vocation, but there was always the same problem: the lack of parking. It’s simple, there aren’t any. Also, nobody wants to come to Saint-Roch to shop these days because of the work on the tramway in Dorchester,” says Mr Vincent.
Above all, passion
What drives the owner of Tania Textiles after so many years is still passion. “I love beautiful fabrics, it’s been a big part of my life for a long time. »
This love made him travel more than once in search of the most beautiful pieces. Serge Vincent also believes that it is this attention to detail that has allowed the brand to stand out from the big chains.
“I buy everything from Europe, because that’s where you can find the best quality and the most beautiful patterns. Nowadays the big companies are all moving towards Asia to pay as little as possible and get better margins. »
Raising his prices to make more profit was never an option for him. “I never wanted to get into this game to make money at any cost. I want to offer beautiful products that please my customers who keep coming back, concludes Mr. Vincent. When we close, the type of fabric we sell will no longer be found anywhere in Quebec. It’s a shame, but that’s how it is now. »
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?