(Photo courtesy of the Lighting and Accent Gallery)(Photo courtesy of the Lighting and Accent Gallery)
Chatham

Local Business Owners Set To Retire

After 17 years in business in Chatham-Kent, the Lighting and Accent Gallery is closing.

"Unfortunately my father's health took a real toll this year and my parents have decided to retire and focus on them as of now," says Shannon Kelly, manager and daughter of the owners, Jim and Sandy Kelly. "They're still battling hard with the fact that they're closing. It's not something that was an easy decision for either of them."

Kelly says they will never forget the fire that destroyed their business and two others last January.

"It was definitely one of those life-altering moments, and it's made us better, for the most part. The community was behind us 100%, it was awesome to see," she says.

But Kelly says they also have a lot of good memories.

"We have so many customers that stop in and see us, we're going to miss them," she says. "We've made a lot of friends through the business, a lot of memories. The outreach that the community had for us after the fire, I mean that I think we'll talk about for years to come."

The Lighting and Accent Gallery has been in the Nortown Plaza since the fire but will close their doors for good on January 31.

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