Pat’s of Chauvin says retirement not in vocabulary

Pat Chauvin always wanted to run a dress shop.

So one winter afternoon in 1963, she decided to make that dream a reality.

Chauvin and her husband Philip headed to New Orleans that day and purchased $600 of dresses to get the business started.

“We put $250 down,” Chauvin said. “But we looked honest, so they gave us the rest on credit.”

It’s pretty safe to assume the decision to invest in the Chauvin’s business was a good idea on behalf of the lender.

Pat’s of Chauvin is closing in on its 50th year in business, initially starting out as a small family shop inside their home after that initial $600 purchase.

“We had a very small house and we had three small children,” Chauvin said. “So we took one bedroom, moved the furniture out and Philip put a galvanized pipe around the room to hang the dresses. We put the three babies in one room and I called my friends and I called my family and I told them, ‘I’m opening a dress shop.’ And they said back, ‘Are you crazy?’ I said back, ‘Possibly so, but are you going to support me?’”

That answer was decided right away, as customers piled into the Chauvin’s home, forcing them to seek their own building.

Over the year’s Pat’s of Chauvin has relocated a handful of times, before settling in their current location at 5086 La. Hwy 56 in Chauvin.

The store currently houses social occasion dresses, school uniforms, children’s clothing, among many other types of attire.

“We never imagined this when we first got started,” Chauvin said of the store’s growth. “We’ve blossomed into a place where customers can come and find almost anything they may need for any given occasion.”

The key to sustained business success, according to Chauvin is providing for customer’s needs and service.

Chauvin’s staff (most of whom have been with the store for several decades), greet customers as soon as they walk into the door to start a welcoming business relationship between customer and client.

“That’s important,” Chauvin said. “If the customer knows that you care about them, then there’s that trust established. And when you’re looking to buy outfits for important occasions, the experience is just so much better if you trust the person selling you the item and know that they are looking out for you and are trying to get you the best fit for whatever you’re trying to do.”

Chauvin said from those relationships, her store has built a niche for clientele all across the Tri-parish area, servicing people across the area who want good, old-fashioned one-on-one service that might be lost in the bigger chain-owned stores in the cities.

“We want people’s experiences here to be a good one,” the businesswoman said. “We want people to go home and tell their neighbors to come here because of the service they received here.”

The local businessowner said her stint in business hasn’t been without adversity.

Storms have ravished the business throughout the years – they always came back and re-opened.

Chauvin said people also questioned their move to Chauvin and said that a store like Pat’s would “never survive in South Terrebonne.”

She said she takes pride in knowing those critics have been proven wrong.

“A lot of people doubted us and didn’t think we could survive down the bayou,” she said with a smile. “But we’re still here.”

So with the store rumbling toward its 50th year, some often pose the question about the future.

Age is a just a number, according to Chauvin, who said neither she nor her husband have any plans to retire anytime in the future.

“We’re still going strong and we’re not going anywhere,” Chauvin said. “Retire isn’t in my vocabulary. That’s not a word that we use too often around here.”

Chauvin added that the store will celebrate its 50th year in May and will have deals available at that time to honor the store’s customers who allowed the business to enjoy its longevity.