An iconic Kincardine business will stay open, as Fincher's has been purchased by owners of another downtown store.
Brittany Hamilton, who owns Littles by the Lake, and her husband Cory, a local realtor, have bought the gift shop from the original owners Tom and Dawn Fincher.
Brittany, opened her store late in 2021, after noticing the lack of local children's clothing options. She said it's been well-received by the community, particularly after opening the Play Cafe.
She had considered selling toys at her shop, but didn't due to Fincher's presence in the community. When the opportunity presented itself to keep the business in town, the family jumped at it.
"When I saw the announcement, I knew it was going to be a huge loss for the town," she said. "Fincher's is obviously a staple in Kincardine kind of a go-to stop for toys, books, gifts and stationary. I actually reached out to Tom myself and said I would be interested in taking over if the opportunity was there."
The sale of the building was finalized in June, while the business deal was closed in the last couple weeks.
"Tom and Dawn have been amazing. They're so incredibly helpful, and they're very happy as well that it's staying in the town," she said.
The final day for the 40-year-old store under the Fincher's name will be August 30. Hamilton will take over the keys on September 5 at which point, they will put their own name on the front.
"The name is not staying, very understandably so. Tom and Dawn wanted the name to retire along with them... basically, we are just keeping it simple and we're thinking we're just going to call it 'Hamilton's Toys and More,'" she said.
There won't be many other drastic changes out of the gate Hamilton says. She will spend most of her time at the new store versus at Little by the Lake as she learns the ropes and makes some minor tweaks.
"I'll probably do a little bit of updates, just some fresh paint," said Hamilton. "I am going to be bringing in a couple new brands, but primarily, I'd say at least right off the hop, I'm pretty much keeping it the same. Everyone in Kincardine is used to it being that way so I don't want to make any drastic changes. It's running very well how it is."
After the announcement the Fincher family shared on social media that its Goderich location is still up for sale.
"Just as we worked closely with Brittany and Cory to transition our Kincardine location, we’re open to working with the right individual or team to continue the legacy in Goderich — whether you're interested in taking over a well-established business or just the building itself," wrote the family.
The final day for that store will be around December 31.
The next step for Hamilton in the Kincardine location will be recruiting staff. Hamilton says she has one student lined up, but anyone else interested in applying is encouraged to reach out to littlesbythelake@gmail.com