While Lindsay Sims is sad that her small retail business on Colley Avenue in Ghent had to close, she is happy and proud she made her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar a reality.
“It was really special to see it come to fruition,” she said.
The roughly 2,000-square-foot store, Maison Soleil, closed on Christmas Eve. The fair trade boutique sold ethically sourced, artisan goods — including clothing, jewelry, home decor and other gift items.
“I didn’t know if people really cared, until we started closing,” Sims said. “People started coming out of the woodwork saying how much they loved the store.”
Sims, a 2008 graduate of Kellam High School, earned a degree in accounting from Old Dominion University. In 2013, she moved to Washington to attend graduate school at American University.
“I also decided to start a business venture,” she said. “I’m very analytical, but at the same time, I’m very creative.”
For five years, she did pop-ups in and around D.C. — all while working full-time in accounting. In 2022, she and husband Jake moved back to Hampton Roads with the intent for her to open a standalone business.
“I wanted a space where people could come, hang out and chill — with more of a community feel,” she said. “Kind of like Central Perk in ‘Friends.’ ”
Within six months, she established her store, but had to maintain her full-time job. She employed a staff that could run the business when she couldn’t be present.
“Initially, it was really great,” Sims said.
Money earned and saved from a Christmas market in Washington helped her to jumpstart the larger endeavor.
“But, it wasn’t really enough, so I did put a lot of my own money into the business,” she said. “And I kept having to do that.”
Lindsay Sims at the counter of Maison Soleil in March 2025. The small business closed on Christmas Eve after almost 3 1/2 years in Norfolk. (Courtesy/Lindsay Sims)
She hoped it would improve with time, but it grew worse economically and financially each year, she said. She didn’t give up easily. She tried different marketing plans, rebranded, changed up the store, hired staff to enhance the displays and merchandising, and held in-house events, including open mics, sip and paint nights and sober storytelling with Free Life.
“It wasn’t the lack of customers,” Sims said. “It was really the lack of everybody spending more versus less.”
Sims said while economists say otherwise, she feels we are in a recession.
Sales dropped by half at the beginning of the year, she said, and were down to a quarter of what they were last year at this time.
“I don’t think the tariffs or the shutdown helped the economic situation in this country,” she said, adding small retailers also compete with online shopping.
Ultimately, she said the closure is a result of a combination of reasons. Sims said she was months behind on her rent — and other bills associated with the business, too — when she made the decision to close.
“It’s just that when you run out of ideas and you’re stressed and burnt out, it’s so hard to continue,” she said.
As a former small business owner, she wanted to share advice: “I would encourage people to shop from local small businesses in their neighborhood, if they want it to stay that way. Otherwise, you’re going to see the big businesses and corporations take over and it’s not going to be so fun and whimsical anymore.”
As for what’s next, she said she and her husband have a whole new adventure they’re “expecting.”
Their first child is due in the spring.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com
