Still the fabric of Lowell, by George

By David Perry, dperry@lowellsun.com

Updated: 06/12/2010 06:35:38 AM EDT

LOWELL -- She always loved the vast selection, the bolts of fabric, the way the folks at George's Textile seemed to know so much about everything they stocked.

Since first venturing into the Haverhill store two decades ago, and then the flagship Lowell store a few years later, Linda Gilbride was in love with the place.

A custom designer, she even loved the way the wood floors creaked in Lowell's oldest commercial building, at the corner of Merrimack and Worthen streets.

She has worked two days a week at the Lowell store for four years.

Now, the 69-year-old business is hers.

Last week, Gilbride, 46, bought the 2,000-square-foot store from Joan Psaledakis, whose late husband Manny bought it from his own father and ran it until he died at age 68 five years ago.

Though George's leaves the embrace of its original family, don't look for changes.

Gilbride, a fan of sewing, fabric and design since she was 5, plans to maintain the flavor of George's while gradually updating the business.

"It's a good thing," says George's store manager, Bob Noel, 60, who has worked at the store for two decades and will stay on. "It keeps the store going while giving the business a new life. It will bring us into the computer age now. Linda is young, energetic. It can only be a good thing."

The Haverhill store closed seven years ago. But in Lowell, there remains the sort of glorious clutter that marks businesses that have survived whims and trends.

Lowell's textile history has fueled tourism, but it couldn't save some of the other shops that lined the city's streets.

"Manny always said, 'We'll be the survivors in this business,'" says Noel. "I remember him saying that so many times. And look at it today, he's right. It's because we always stressed personal service. Sometimes, we'll have two people working with a customer."

Bullion fringe, woven shades, trim, drapes, and fabric everywhere.

"Twenty years ago, I was shopping in the Haverhill store," says Gilbride, who lives in Tyngsboro with her husband, Paul, and daughters, Madison, 12, and Cassidy, 9. "And four or five years ago, Bob said to me, 'Come work for me. I need some help.' And I've been coming into the Lowell store beginning about 16 years ago. I was always here. I said to Bob, 'I have kids, what about them?' He said, 'bring 'em.'"

Her daughters became greeters during Gilbride's work time, even learning to cut fabric.

She had "always" wanted to have such a shop.

History doesn't hurt. Built in 1826, 360 Merrimack St. "was here before City Hall," Noel notes.

It originally served as a shoe distributor, Sullivan Brothers Co. Fine Footwear.

George's was opened by Greek immigrant George Psaledakis in 1941, and Manny Psaledakis bought out his father in the 1970s.

"When the opportunity presented itself, I went back and forth with my husband and decided to go ahead," says Gilbride. "I just always wanted to do this, It has always been one of my dreams. And I had to. To own a business that was also my passion?"

She began sewing at age 5, making clothes for her dolls. She made clothes for herself, then designed interiors for her own home, then homes for others under the banner of Custom Creations.

Gilbride and her family lived in Lowell's Highlands section for nine years, moving to Tyngsboro nine years ago.

"The great thing about George's is anybody can walk in here and anyone working can help them instantly," says Gilbride. "The staff knows what they're talking about, from accessorizing to matching fabrics, to doing window treatments. And that's not going to change."

"Listen," says Amanda Moissan, who works at George's. "I think it's gonna be great. How could it not? It's not just a business to Linda. This is her passion."