Meet Annie Oosthuizen of The Clothing Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Oosthuizen.

Hi Annie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The Clothing Company was established in 1975 when my grandparents, Jim and Sue, moved their family from Detroit to Charlevoix. Downtown Charlevoix is on a bluff overlooking a beautiful harbor, nestled between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix. The water is deep blue, summer cottages and luscious trees line the coast. They were ahead of their time moving here, seeing the abundant opportunity in our picturesque downtown. I like to tell them how smart they are, but they say they’ve just been lucky. In 1994 my grandparents sold the store to my mother, Jacq, and she has built the business to what it is today. As Charlevoix grows more popular, so does The Clothing Company. It is a destination for people traveling here from all over the country. I think the relationship she has with our customer base and community is what fuels her. She is kind, helpful, and patient with our customers and leads her staff that way too. In 2018 my husband, Cole, and I moved back to Charlevoix to learn the business, just as my mother did with my grandparents. I won’t elaborate too much on our story because I think it is important to know how it all started. This store is family-owned and full of soul. We love Charlevoix and our customers.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve been in business for 46 years, of course, there have been struggles. To name a few… In the ’80s an Army truck drove through the side of our building, luckily the driver was okay, but the store was not. In 2016 a bakery fire damaged our building and a few other spots in town. Then 2020 was an interesting year for all of us. The Coronavirus has impacted every facet of the business, and we’ve definitely have had to remain fluid and flexible. Truly, every day brings a new set of challenges and rewards, but it is all your perspective. You can freeze, or you can adapt, innovate and think ahead.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Clothing Company?
The store is located on the main street in Downtown Charlevoix. The space was a dime store before it was The Clothing Company. If you aren’t familiar with dime stores they had everything you could imagine — candies, jewelry, hardware, etc. so our building is very spacious! We carry lifestyle and outdoor brands, like Columbia Sportswear, Habitat, Patagonia, Cotopaxi, Blundstone, Sorel, Fjall Raven, Royal Robbins, the list goes on. People who live and visit Charlevoix like to keep it simple, functional, and casual, we feel our brands meet that mark!

We’ve curated the store to feel like you’re stepping into someone’s home. We use antique tables for merchandise, display props like decoys and old books, a photo of my grandparents is on the wall and patinaed wood counters, touched by many hands line the shop. Our store items are arranged by brand, so it is easy to wander straight to your favorite companies. In addition to our cozy atmosphere, we are grateful to have an amazing staff, the customer service they offer is superb. With our long list of brands, homey space and attentive crew we offer a unique shopping experience that keeps people coming back!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
My grandparents opened the store during a simpler time, but that doesn’t mean the choice to uproot their family, move to a town they’d only driven through, and start a business on a whim was a simple choice. They took a chance and those chances led them to the next opportunity and then the next… and 46 years later The Clothing Company is still here. So on paper, we’ve been very lucky! There have been some bumps along the way, but you just learn from each experience and keep pressing on.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@myclothingco.com
• Website: www.myclothingco.com
• Instagram: @thecloco
• Facebook: @theclothingcompanycharlevoix
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/clothing-company-charlevoix

Image Credits
Mike Murphy IV Photography