KIRKLAND LAKE - After operating for 22 years, a Kirkland Lake business has closed its doors.
Table Top Treasures first opened in September of 2001 and was owned and operated by Cynthia Fillion and her husband Henri.
After Henri died, Fillion made the difficult decision to close the store on Jan. 31.
“It was a long run, it was a good business, and I had a good clientele. I'm very sad to have had to do that but I couldn't stay there by myself,” she said.
What started out as a sewing business slowly shifted into a business catering to a multitude of needs, Fillion said.
“It was a combination of things. I sew, so it started out to be a sewing place, but then my husband … he was doing photo editing and so we combined the two. We would do personalized t-shirts, mouse pads, and coasters … But as the years passed, it kind of expanded,” she said.
What she'll miss most about the business are the people.
“I just love the customers and dealing with them and trying to help them with any kind of issues that they had. Whether it be fixing their clothes or just helping them pick out something special for somebody that they really cared for, that's the part I'm going to miss most,” she said.
On Jan. 31, Fillion took to her business’s Facebook page to announce its closure.
“I have enjoyed working with you and hope you learned as much from me as I did from you,” she wrote.
The post received several comments from people expressing their sadness and sharing memories.
As to what’s next for Fillion, she said she’s left Kirkland Lake to live in Sudbury with her son.
“I'm not going to do the sewing anymore for clothing repairs. That was getting hard because of my hands. My husband was helping a lot and the staff were helping a lot to take things apart and I would put it back together, which was fine,” she said.
“But now, because I'm doing it on my own, I'm just going back into my crafts. I’m kind of going backwards a little bit, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm going to be making baby clothes, and stuffed toys. That's where I started and I’m going back to it.”
Fillion wants to apologize to her customers for having to close the business.
“I'm really sorry that it ended this way. I just love the people and I'm just really sorry that there couldn't have been an easier way to go out,” she said.
