‘A very fantastic run’: Skaneateles garments boutique closes | Regional Information | Auburn, NY | Auburnpub.com

Found at 4 E. Genesee St., cate&sally turned a staple of the village’s retail landscape by carrying designers that could barely be found somewhere else in central New York, this sort of as Eileen Fisher, Lilly Pulitzer and Michael Stars. But as they neared two many years in small business, longtime good friends Cate Davis and Sally Mason just felt it was time to shut, Davis instructed The Citizen on Wednesday, the store’s remaining working day in enterprise.

“We figured we had a very good run,” she said, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic did not play a job in the choice. “We had a excellent yr this calendar year, but it just was time.”

The boutique was at first supposed to shut Nov. 28. But due to the fact asserting the closure on Facebook this summer season, Davis and Mason have already bought almost all of their remaining inventory of apparel, add-ons, jewelry and extra. Lots of shoppers have expressed their gratitude to the owners for opening cate&sally, Davis claimed, and their unhappiness to see it go. The experience is mutual, she additional.

“We are going to miss out on the men and women. I consider we were being renowned for our client assistance,” she mentioned. “We had been fortunate to celebrate birthdays, graduations and weddings with a lot of of our consumers.”

Mates considering the fact that attending Bishop Ludden Junior-Senior High College with each other, Davis and Mason every used years doing the job in retail and fashion just before opening cate&sally in May well 2003. They traveled throughout the place, from New York Town to Los Angeles, to inventory the boutique with the most effective designers they could, Davis claimed. The retail outlet closely prioritized American-manufactured garments as well.

Past calendar year, Mason moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to her grandchildren, but ongoing encouraging operate the boutique remotely. Davis also options to commit more time with family members, she said. The place will next be leased by Lisa Dietz, operator of fellow Skaneateles boutique Emma + James, who will open up a new business there, Hap + Major.

“We had a large amount of great adventures in excess of the decades,” Davis claimed. “We are blessed to be element of the Skaneateles group.”