Although her work situation is precarious, Isabelle Beauchamp still greeted Le Courrier du Sud with good humor on January 10, clearly proud of what she has accomplished over more than eight years. However, time is running out for the owner of the Mam'zelle Taille Plus. Without help from the community, she could close her shop soon.
Isabelle Beauchamp doesn't like to say her work is unique, but upon reflection, she doesn't see anything similar on the South Shore or in Monteregie. It is a boutique and thrift store, offering plus size clothing at low prices for women. Its clients extend from Gaspésie to Ontario.
“The demand is already there for plus-sized women. There are not a lot of options, especially at low prices,” she confirms.
However, the latter has fallen behind on her rent in recent years and has launched a Gofundme page to raise $15,000, the equivalent of unpaid rent.
“Normally, we don't go to Gofundme for late rent. But it's either that or we go bankrupt. I know it's a very nice community here. And because I'm surrounded by customers so well, I said to myself: This is the only solution. And the answer is sick!” she says, referring to the $4,000 piled up. actually.
Epidemic and health problem
The merchant does not want to blame everything on the pandemic, but this period has hurt the business. Both the mandatory lockdown and the times that followed.
“After that, customers did not come for fear of contracting the virus. We continued online sales, but they were not as strong as open trade.
Then there are also his health issues. Isabelle Beauchamp suffers from Gorlin Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. You must undergo lifelong chemotherapy.
“It can develop in many ways, but in my case, it caused a recurrence of skin cancer. I have had several operations. This led to many, many meetings. This meant that I had to recover for 4 or 6 weeks. My husband, daughters, and mother have helped me, but by cutting my work hours by more than half, I'm not as active anymore.
For some time now, health has been improving, in particular thanks to “good medicine, which does not cause many side effects.” The shop works as well. “Today everything is going well financially, and we are paying our operating costs. It is really about making up for the damage that has been done in recent years,” she says.
a shelf At the foot of the bed
It was precisely after an episode of repeated treatments, 11 or 12 years ago, that Isabelle Beauchamp of Mam'zelle Taille Plus was inspired. At the time, Longueuilloise was deemed disabled by the Régie des Rentes du Québec.
“My health started to improve. I said, 'Okay, I haven't done anything in years, I've got to do something with my life.' It started with, 'I need new clothes,'” she says.
She started selling clothes that no longer fit her online to buy more. They quickly found a buyer. She then sold others with similar success.
This experience inspired him to create a group: “After a month, there were 500 people in the group. So I said to myself: I am not the only one who needs large-sized clothes and finds it difficult to obtain them.
This is followed by the first clothes rack at the foot of the bed. Then to another place of residence and then, to larger accommodations, until I discovered the building in Poole. Corrie Poirier is where she is today.
Used and new clothes are sold there, always with the goal of affordability. The store owner says: “All women from all classes of society come here, but the profits we can make are from the quantity of clothes sold and not from each piece of clothing.”
She also confirms that the owner of the building, a man she has known since childhood, was very considerate and understood the steps taken to settle her debts.
If she does not yet have a deadline to pay the amount during our visit, she estimates that the deadline will be in three weeks or a month.
