Sandy Hunter, owner of the Port Dalhousie women's fashion store, Windsand Clothier, recently heard that remark, along with 'who's going to dress me?'

At the end of July, Hunter, who started Windsand 25 years ago with her now retired mother, Dolores Greer, quietly sent out a few e-mails to some of her loyal customers letting them know that she will be retiring in September and that the store would be closing.

Hunter said she and her staff came to view their customers, who hail from across Niagara, Toronto and even the United States, as close friends. Whether they were women picking out a new outfit or gentlemen gift-shopping for their wife, they were given the personal touch. After enough visits, the staff would know exactly what they wanted.

"They come in here, and they don't even have to think about what to wear," Hunter said. "We just know how to make shopping easy for them."

When Hunter and her mother started the business in 1983, they had no idea it would last this long or become the destination it is.

"It was something we started on a whim to do something together," she said. "And it turned into quite a successful business."

In her mind, there was no question about where to establish the store, said Hunter, who was born and raised in the area.

"My heart is here in Port Dalhousie. I love it here," she said.

Along with being a shopping destination, Windsand Clothier has been involved in several community charities. A series of fashion shows featuring breast cancer survivors as models have raised more than $25,000 for the Evangelista Adams Centre, which screens for cancer.

The decision to close was not an easy one. It was made painfully over a period of two years following the death of her husband, Greg.

"I need some breathing room," Hunter said. "It's time to move on." Hunter is targeting Sunday, Sept. 7 as a closing date and until then there is a retirement/closing sale with items 40 to 80 per cent off. Windsand Clothier is located at 26 Lakeport Rd.