Priya Mohan, owner of sariKNOTsari, a clothing shop and designer of upcycled silk clothing made from vintage saris, always envisioned her Hamilton business as more than a store. From her digital-first launch to opening her brick-and-mortar shop on James Street North in 2018, Mohan has always approached sariKNOTsari through the lens of inclusivity, thoughtfully designing one-size-fits-all clothing that challenges brands ignoring the everchanging state of women’s bodies.

“It’s really become a hub,” says Mohan. “We’ve created a community of people who value the same things.”

Mohan says all the brand’s models are local customers and it’s common for customers from the Hamilton area to visit the shop for a quick “hello.” “They know our team…they'll know if it's somebody’s birthday or somebody just got back from a vacation,” she says. And it’s becoming bigger than just her James Street North shopfront – sariKNOTsari is growing into a global community through its online clothing swap group.

But investing in growing that community has always been a balancing act that’s required prioritizing limited resources, admits Mohan. She says it’s always been a question of where to put her resources.

Through the My Main Street program, Mohan saw an opportunity to make some enhancements that would help elevate both the in-store and online experiences. The program aims to strengthen businesses, boost productivity and revitalize main streets. My Main Street is delivered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), and supported by a Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Due to the age of the building, Mohan says they’ve never been able to have an air conditioner which makes it “excruciatingly hot” at times. “Our heat sensitive customers couldn’t visit us year-round,” she recalls. So first up on the list was to invest in cooling the space to increase foot traffic and bring more people to James Steet North. “It has made a huge difference for our customers,” says Mohan. “They come in and they sit and they stay, and if they sit and they stay, they're likely to bump into the next person who comes in.” This helps to build a sense of community among customers while also improving sales.

Next up was making the location’s basement usable. “Our lower level is dry, but it was dated,” says Mohan. The floor was chipping away. It was dusty and unwelcoming. With the My Main Street support, the business made the space more usable, including creating a studio for photographing her local models and new designs. The new space allows Mohan to blend the digital community she’s built with the in-person customer base, finally fulfilling that vision she’s always had for the brand.

“If it weren’t for something like My Main Street, we wouldn't have been able to implement these changes,” says Mohan.