Skirtz & Co. moves to new location

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This article was published 06/10/2022 (956 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It may be a new location but for Skirtz & Co. owners Christina and Aaron Van Staats, it’s simply a larger space to practice their mission.

That mission is to supply modest clothing to their customers, a need the couple says they saw existed back in 2013 when they opened their first small shop in La Broquerie.

Strong support saw them make the move to Steinbach, where they opened another small shop where Christie’s Bridal exists today. That move into bridal slowly overtook the space, forcing them to split the business.

Christina said they went online for a year, hosting monthly skirts sale events at the Legion Hall. But that hands-off approach didn’t impress their customer base.

“A lot of our customers kept coming back to the bridal location, asking can you please open your store,” Christina said.

That prompted the move into Clearspring Centre in 2019, where COVID restrictions prompted them to add other products. In a bid to find products deemed essential, they began offering local products such as soaps, bath products and candles. They also opened up space for other local vendors who were missing out on craft sales and other markets. Those supplies remain part of their retail offering to this day.

It soon became clear they required more space, prompting this latest move to a location at 94 Industrial Road, effectively doubling the space to 1,600 sq. ft.

Skirts and Co. also has a travelling component which goes across Canada to sell their wares. They’ve also set up at fundraisers, helping churches and other organizations raise funds.

“I’m not in this world just to make money,” Christina said. “This is something we do from our heart. It’s almost like a mission.”

Aaron echoed that, saying they are happy to provide a product that in many communities just does not exist.

“It’s such an amazing thing when you come to a community and they’re literally waiting for you, and they’ve lined up and every customer is so thankful,” she said. “For me it’s not so much the fact of selling clothing, that it not what thrills me. What really thrills me is when I see a customer come back and she’s wearing the clothing.”

Sourcing high quality clothing is important to earning repeat business and while they started with a handful of suppliers, Christina said that’s expanded and includes product from countries like Israel and Serbia.

Christina has always had an eye for fashion, something that her husband Aaron admits was an initial attraction. “When I first met her, she always dressed just beautiful,” he said.

Christina said that for many people, the word “modesty” has negative connotations, seen as old fashioned or “grandma-ish”.

That prompted their initial slogan which stated their store was “where modest is beautiful”.

“I wanted to show people that dressing in modest clothing does not mean that its ugly, old fashioned or outdated,” she said. “It’s trendy, it’s stylish, it’s feminine, it makes you feel beautiful.”

The two of have dreams for their business.

“I would definitely like to expand into being the largest retailer in Canada for modest clothing, especially for skirts,” Christina said.

Between the husband and wife team, they operate four businesses and raise a young family.

Both said that requires trust, in each other, their employees and God.

“When you put God first, he’ll give you the strength for everything else,” Aaron said.

Christina said her staff make the difference, adding they model integrity and honesty.

“They love their jobs, they love the store, they carry the vision on, and without my staff… I could not be doing this,” she said.

Vision, hard work and a refusal to give up are keys to success for the couple.

“When there’s something in your path go around it and keep going,” Aaron said.

For more information go to www.skirtznco.com.