Blyth’s a fashion centre

 

   Although there’s not a single shop left on Blyth’s main street selling fashions, the village is still one of the largest centres for fashion in the region, thanks to The Old Mill and Bainton’s Old Mill. Both are outlets for the village’s two tanneries.

   Bainton’s, located just off Queen Street (the village’s main street) on Westmoreland Street just a block north of the theatre and restaurant district, dates back to when the Bainton family came to Blyth to take over the tannery and woolen mill in 1894. Later the tannery moved to a farm southeast of the village and the old tannery was converted to a retail outlet for wool and leather fashions.

   The Old Mill is a modern chalet-style building overlooking the village from a hill on County Road 4 to the south. It’s a bright, expansive store overflowing with coats, sweaters, hats and more. The selection has expanded beyond wool and leather to the latest fashions in everything including prom dresses. The building also houses Atlas Tanning. Of historical interest on the site is the former Canadian Pacific Railway station house that once stood near the downtown tannery.