Heavens to Betsy: Quirky Ottawa gift shop closing after 12 years
KAREN TURNERMore from Karen Turner
Published on: February 5, 2015Last Updated: February 5, 2015 1:54 PM EST
After 12 years in business with no staff other than each other, Denise Landriault (R) and Dawn Carlisle are closing Heavens to Betsy in Hintonburg.
It’s been a good run for Dawn Carlisle and Diane Landriault, but after 12 years, they’ve decided to close their quirky gift shop in Hintonburg to chase new dreams.
The long-time friends admit it is with heavy hearts that they say good-bye to Heavens to Betsy — a small storefront on Wellington Street West packed with funky knick-knacks, vintage lamps, designer clothing and sardonic greeting cards — and the neighbourhood they love so much.
But like a slew of other retailers in Ottawa affected by the poor economy, including Target, Mexx, Future Shop, Sony, Smart Set and CD Warehouse, Landriault says “dissolving the business” was their only choice.
“I love my store. I didn’t want to close, but you can’t make a good living at retail,” says the visual artist, who will miss creating the store’s artsy window displays, talking to customers and seeing her dear friend and pragmatic business partner every day. (They’ve never hired staff to help run the store.) “But Dawn is right. It’s the right thing to do.”
As one door closes, another swings wide open for these empty-nesters.Both are selling their Ottawa homes, downsizing and pursuing new career paths.
Carlisle and her husband, Nigel Bowers, are moving to Prince Edward County, where they’re building a “long, low and simple” bungalow with a sleek Nordic look on 40 acres of farmland. A breezeway will connect the house to a large workshop where Bowers, a custom cabinetmaker, can work and together, they can restore their four vintage — 1956 to 1964 — Airstream trailers. They may even get a few chickens.
“It’s just time to do other things,” says Carlisle, who is excited about setting down new roots and opening a home-based business with her husband. “As you get older, you start to reassess (your life). You gotta do what you gotta do while you still can.”
Although she plans to concentrate on her art and spend more time with her granddaughter, Landriault’s future is still uncertain. “I have to find another job. I’m not retiring,” she says, admitting that downsizing from a large home where she’s lived for 26 years and raised three children is “an emotional roller coaster.”
There is talk of moving to the country, too, where she’d like to teach art classes, garden and explore her creative side. And she plans on making several road trips to Prince Edward County to visit Carlisle and the surrounding wineries.
“We made a great team,” she says. “I will miss her greatly, but we’re going to be friends forever.”
If you go
What: Heavens to Betsy, a “retro with a modern twist” gift shop
Where: 1111 Wellington St. West
Hours: Until April 1: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Great deals: Everything is 25 per cent off, but will be discounted even further as the closing date gets closer.
Info: 613-722-1946;
heavenstobetsy.ca
