After 35 years downtown, Hughes Clothing has come home to Oak Bay Village.
And the community has given the owners a warm welcome. Hughes opened on Oak Bay Avenue in the former Maritime Travel space in Athlon Court.
“It’s been a fantastic welcome,” said owner Rebecca Burrows, who took over from her mother-in-law Donna Anderson two years ago. “I’ve been so grateful, it brings me to tears.”
Both Burrows and Anderson are longtime Oak Bay residents. Burrows moved to Victoria with her parents as a 19-year-old, and started working for Anderson in her first job here. Burrows, who has a degree in business, owned both the Bleue Coyote Pub (Brewskys) in Brentwood Bay and Rod and Gun Bar and Grill in Parksville but has since sold them.
READ MORE: Inspired style with Rebecca Burrows of Hughes Clothing
But Burrows was never far from the family fashion business Anderson started on Yates Street in 1985.
The move to Oak Bay has been great business-wise.
“Busier than we’ve been in years,” Anderson said. “Our feet are tired.
Burrows is confident that the hustle and bustle of Oak Bay Village equals that of downtown Victoria, where foot traffic has been slowing the past decade, she said.
“We’ve had clients come back that we haven’t seen in a long time who were reluctant to go downtown,” Burrows said.
The fashion remains the same, with suits, jeans, casual tops, and outerwear for men, and business, casual, classic, and artsy styles for women, Burrows said.
“Like any business owner I get butterflies each day we open, not knowing what the day will bring,” she said. “Every sale is a moment of gratefulness.”
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