An icon of the downtown London retail scene has died.
Bud Gowan passed away Tuesday. The founder of Bud Gowan Formal Wear was 87.
He became a clothing store owner in the early 1950's, when he opened a store on Dundas St.
That store was closed in 1970, when the land it was on was expropriated in order for the Bell building to be constructed.
In the mid-1970's, he opened Bud Gowan Formal Wear, where generations of high school students rented tuxedos for prom and grooms were fitted for the clothes they would wear on their wedding day.
He turned the business over to his son Paul in 1985, before opening an antiques store a few years later.
Bob Usher, chair of the London Downtown Business Association, says Gowan was a tireless champion of downtown.
"He was from a generation where retail was different, before the big box stores and the malls were as strong as they were at the time," says Usher.
"He was around long before that and stuck it out when the faces of downtowns across North America were changing. He made it work and I think we, as a community, owe him a big debt for all that he has done and all the work that he has done to become what I would call a downtown champion."
Visitation will be held on Friday from 2-4pm and 7-9 pm at Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Road North, London. A memorial service will be held there on Saturday at 10am. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, those wishing to pay tribute to Bud make a donation in his memory to the London Regional Cancer Program or Mission Services of London.
