THE SWIMWEAR HUT AND LINGERIE ENJOYING SUCCESSES
It may be the middle of winter, but you can still get your fill of fun in the sun at The Swimwear Hut and Lingerie. In New Minas, N.S.
In 1999, Liz and Mike Huntley opened Sand & Sea Dive Shop, where they taught scuba courses and sold equipment.
They then started selling swimwear in 2001.
“We had a real demand from customers at the time looking for swimwear in the area as there were no other swimwear retailers at the time,” said Liz.
They started small and sold the Canadian brand TYR SWIM, which would sell out just as fast as they could get orders in.
Their swimwear sales were becoming so popular that they started selling designer style swimwear.
The sale of swimwear grew so exponentially that they renovated the upper level of the dive shop and the Huntley’s called it Sand & Sea Beachwear.
“To this day so many customers will still reminisce about the good old days when they would park out on the street of the old dive shop, head upstairs and get outfitted with swimwear for their trip down south, (to the) pool or beach,” said Liz.
“I love connecting and having these great conversations with people,” continued Liz.
The Huntley’s decided to take a leap of faith and in 2005 not only moved locations but changed the store’s name to The Swimwear Hut and, to give a more tropical feel to their clientele, added the tagline “Where you’ll find everything under the sun.”
“After bringing in a small selection of swimwear and seeing the success we had with it in the upstairs of the dive shop and seeing just how quickly customers were coming, I realized there was a whole market being missed out on here in the Valley,” said Liz.
Although they were nervous turning things into a retail store in this way, the Huntley’s knew it was the right choice.
“It was such a success my husband and I saw the opportunity to expand and decided it was worth taking the risk and started looking at commercial rentals in the area,” continued Liz. “It was scary to be making such a change and become a new entry in the market, but it was also very exciting at the same time.”
After 15 years, the Huntley’s changed locations again and reopened The Swimwear Hut at its new location in November 2020.
“After a crazy year, we were able to end the year on a high note as we served our cherished customers from our beautiful new location. It certainly made for an extra special holiday season,” said Liz.
It was not necessarily an easy choice but the Huntley’s knew that with the way they were continuing to expand it was time for a new location.
“From the first time we viewed our new location, we knew it was the perfect spot for us,” said Liz. “It was by far the biggest project we’ve ever completed for the store, and, after 18 months, here we are settled in and loving this beautiful historical property and all it offers.”
With this rebranding came the idea to change the name of the store to the The Swimwear Hut and Lingerie to better reflect what they were selling.
Even with their success, the Huntley’s were not immune to the impacts of COVID-19.
In March, they closed their doors for the first time ever.
“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made but felt it was socially responsible to do so,” said Liz.
They were eventually able to re-open implementing their own, as well as the governments, various policies to keep people safe.
Since there was a big push to shop local over the last year, The Swimwear Hut and Lingerie was lucky enough to have a good holiday season.
“We enjoyed seeing our customers and helping with personal gift ideas,” said Liz. “It felt even more special this year being in our new location and being able to share the excitement for our new space.” “With the travel restrictions between provinces and even within our own communities, we did have to adapt a bit and were able to help out many customers online, through social media, and ship items right to their home. It was a win-win situation for everyone,” continued Liz.
Even though they were grateful for the support beforehand, it has meant even more to the Huntley’s over the last year.
“The support has been incredible as we all came together as a community and supported one another through the most challenging year (and) season we have ever experienced as a whole. The more money we spend locally the more opportunities we have for our economy to recover,” said Liz.
https://swimwearhutandlingerie.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/theswimwearhut/
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