Thibodaux clinic carries on 65-year legacy
March 26, 2013
Framing memories since 1963
March 26, 2013
A stylish department store in little ol’ Chauvin?
That’ll never work.
At least that’s what a lot of critics have said over the years to Pat Chauvin and her husband Philip as the family continued to grow their business.
But it seems as though the naysayers were wrong.
Pat’s of Chauvin has withstood the test of time and continues to provide quality clothing and service to customers throughout the Tri-parish area.
The Chauvin-based store is approaching its 50th birthday this year and is still going strong into the future.
“We’ve always had to deal with the people who told us that our store wouldn’t work because of its location,” Pat Chauvin said with a smile from her office. “We’re not in the most convenient place to some people. But if you have service and you have a good product to sell, people will be willing to drive. They will come.”
Walk into Pat’s of Chauvin and a few things jump out to a customer from the start.
The first is a friendly atmosphere.
The store’s workers are quick to greet everyone at the door with a hello and a smile.
The second is passion.
Chauvin loves what she does. It’s why she refuses to retire. She doesn’t even use the “r-word” to anyone who asks the question.
She said that she makes sure to hire other employees who share that passion, as well.
“I wake up in the morning and I don’t feel bad about getting out of bed,” she said. “I don’t see this as my job. I don’t feel discouraged about having to come here. My business is my passion. I love what I do. I love to come here every day.
“There may be a day where I decide that I’ve had enough. But it’s definitely not today. And I don’t think it’s going to be anytime soon, either.”
The reason Chauvin said she loves what she does is because of her personality.
The businesswoman said she loves to work with people of all ages.
She said what keeps her going after all of her years in business is the smile a customer has when they see themselves in the mirror after trying on a dazzling dress or a lovely suit.
At Pat’s, that smile can come from people of all ages and genders, as the store services gowns, wedding attire, dresses, children’s clothing, baby clothing and also school uniforms.
“That look that they give – it’s a look of pure joy and pure happiness,” Chauvin said. “That’s what keeps me going. I love to see their face when they see themselves in that dress and see how beautiful they look. Or when they come back after the party and tell us how good of a time they’ve had. That’s what motivates me to keep going. We want to keep being a part of those memories that people have.”
So with five decades in business, Pat’s is aiming to give back to the community that has supported the store throughout the years.
The business owner said Pat’s plans to honor its milestone in the coming weeks with a giant birthday sale.
She said stores around the area donated $100 gift cards, which will be given out randomly to customers.
Chauvin said the surrounding business community’s willingness to celebrate the store’s birthday means a lot.
She said it’s a testament to the store’s biggest success story – a small community supporting a “big-city” kind of store.
“Our community has always been good to us. Our people have always supported us,” Chauvin said. “But the surrounding area has been wonderful to us, too. We have customers from Morgan City. We have customers from Thibodaux. We also do well in South Lafourche, too. We attract people from many areas, and a lot of it is from word of mouth or referrals. It’s wonderful when someone comes in here and says they were told to visit us by another customer.
“That really reaffirms to us that we’re doing a good job.”
