Tracey Pettigrew, owner of ‘Paisley’s The Wee British Shoppe’ in downtown Bowmanville, recalls she and her husband being suddenly woken by fire alarms around midnight on March 6 last year.
A fire destroyed two historic buildings, closed 10 businesses, displaced upwards of 40 people and killed a 54-year-old woman.
Pettigrew’s two stores were also destroyed in the fire: Paisley’s and Romancing the Home.
When Pettigrew caught wind of a new location available right across the street from the original location, she jumped at the opportunity to reopen Paisley’s.
“The same landlord of The Markets approached us and said he had a spot available, and was I interested in taking it, so that’s what we did,” she said.
In September 2025, after seven long months, she was able to reopen.
Pettigrew says the community in Bowmanville played a substantial role in the restoration and reopening of her store.
“The community was fantastic, even the night of, we kind of all got together,” she said. “The local pub down at the corner here, 99 King, she opened her doors for us all.”
She said the next morning people gathered to assess the damage to the buildings and businesses and be together.
The sudden loss of both stores was “difficult” and “life changing.”
She said Bowmanville’s community was supportive throughout the process of moving stores.
“Amazing, really, amazing, I mean, I wouldn’t want to have my business anywhere else,” she said. “When it came to the point where we were making the decision to reopen again, there was no other choice but to come back to Bowmanville.”
Social media, a number of fundraisers and support from other shops played huge roles in the reopening of Paisley’s. Pettigrew and her husband used their social media to promote Paisley’s and keep customers updated.
Louise Melnick, a frequent costumer and former vendor of Paisley’s says she was “shocked and devastated” by the fire.
“I was very sad because I was a regular costumer and a friend of the owner, and I was also a vendor because she sold my signs,” she said. “It affected me quite a bit.”
Melnick also had praise for the community in Bowmanville.
“The community all rallied together, and we all supported the local business that were affected the best that we could. We all just want to see it rebuilt and reopen,” she said.
That summer, the Clarington Board of Trade held a business relief effort and raised more than $85,000 to help the affected business owners.
Pettigrew has a lot of gratitude towards those who supported her through that time.
“There were lots of people who helped us physically,” she said.
The Markets, another shop in downtown Bowmanville and a few spots down from the current location of Paisley’s, held a spot for her a few weeks after the fire so she could continue to provide for her customers.
Pettigrew said its “bittersweet” working directly across from the old location and it was an adjustment being in a smaller space and merging the two stores but insists on moving forward.
“I’m all in believing it’s time to move on and move forward,” she said.
In place of the two buildings there is now a temporary “Bowmanville Strong” mural from the Municipality of Clarington.
Paisley’s is now located at 72 King St. W. in downtown Bowmanville, where Pettigrew and her husband are making it their own again.