Ottawa St. institution will remain open despite the plan to close
Karen's 4 Kids will continue its legacy on Ottawa St. in Windsor.
Arnie and Jack Blaine took over the family business in 1973, a store their father Charles established back in 1947.
The brothers planned on retiring and closing the children's shoe store after 72 years in the community, but struck a deal with the owners of Etta's Greeklish Eatery in Riverside to keep their father's legacy alive.
Arnie says knowing the store will continue to serve its loyal customer base makes the decision to retire much easier.
"A lot of people came to us and were surprised we didn't put the business up for sale, but we did get approached by more than one person as far as purchasing the business," he says. "It was a pleasant surprise."
He says the new owners don't plan on making major changes to the store.
"New owners always have some idea of what they want to do with as far as store as concerned so there might be some minor changes, but as it stands right now they want to keep it going the way it's been run," he added.
The brothers will stick around to show the new owners the ropes.
"We'll still be around for at least a couple of months once the changeover occurs," he says. "We're both quite pleased the store's name will continue."
The new owners confirmed they're purchasing the store, but declined to comment until the Blaine's complete what was supposed to be Karen's 4 Kids final sale.
According to the statement, they don't want to distract from the brother's final days in their father's shop.
A date for the transition will be set in the coming weeks.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi