by AMANDA WINTERS

Sequim Gazette

Nancy Raines always had a vision of owning a small store in a small town.

For 24 years she lived that dream and this month it comes to an end. Nancy’s Fashions, in the Safeway plaza on West Washington Street, will close its doors by the end of the month.

“How dear to my heart it has been getting to know these ladies not just as customers but as friends,” Raines said, describing the closure as “the end of an era.”

Raines and her husband, Daryl, opened Nancy’s Fashions in 1987 and carried clothing targeted for retired women living on the peninsula.

Daryl Raines left his job in the city due to stress and health problems, letting his wife take the reins and open a clothing boutique in a rural town.

“I’m healthier now than I was 24 years ago,” he said.

Sequim back then had a “Mayberry” feel to it and customers often would come in just to sit and visit for hours, Nancy Raines said.

One customer who came in for the closing sale told her she was an institution, she said.

In the retail business since she was 17, Nancy Raines said she was successful because she was passionate about what she did and because she had excellent help.

“We couldn’t have done what we did without Marilyn (Peterson), Marianne (Duvo) and our daughter Christine (Paulsen),” Nancy Raines said.

Customers are also to be thanked, the Raines said. Not only have they played a huge role in Nancy Raines realizing her dream, but they responded so quickly and strongly to the close-out sale the store may actually run out of merchandise sooner than expected.

Daryl Raines said the store likely will close today.

The Raines plan to stay in Sequim, aside from wintering in Arizona and taking their RV out for a few road trips as they move on to a new era in their lives: retirement.

Reach Amanda Winters at sequimgazette.com.