No extra charge for hugs at the Cloth Castle and volunteers with the food, and people coming out to entertain.” Rartcliffe has always been an active supporter of Rotary, the Shoebox Ministry, youth soccer and Cubs, Brownies and Guides. She volunteered at the hospital while her husband was undergoing treatment and continued that after he passed away. “It’s rewarding to try and be a positive influence. It’s strange how life puts people in your path and brings out the need to help them and love them. I really see that in my kids as well and it’s very gratifying.”
Sylvia Ratcliffe - Owner of the Cloth Castle
Despite the demands of keeping a successful business afloat, Sylvia Ratcliffe has never lost sight of her primary mission.
others, shaped in part by the personal tragedies she has endured.
Her daughter, Margaret, the youngest of four, was killed by a drunk driver on her “I learned a long time ago that you honeymoon when she was 22. Although can’t take money with you,” explained Ratcliffe had already spent many years Ratcliffe during an interview at the Cloth working with the Salvation Army in the service of others, the loss of her daughter took “It’s rewarding to try and be a positive her efforts in a different influence. It’s strange how life puts direction. “I’ve done a lot people in your path and brings out the of work through the ministry helping people deal need to help them and love them.” with the loss of a child,” -Sylvia Ratcliffe, Owner of the Cloth Castle she said. “I lost another daughter, Michelle, to Castle, a family enterprise that’s been a cancer when she was 42, so I help out Goldstream Avenue landmark for almost at the hospice. You try to help where 50 years. “It’s what you do for people you can. You can accomplish a lot for while you’re alive that matters most.” people dealing with issues like that by Ratcliffe credits the time she spent grow- simply having a coffee and sharing some comforting words. I’m never too busy at ing up on a farm for instilling a work the store to make time for someone who ethic that has served her well. “You put needs a hug or wants to pray together.” in long hours on a farm,” explained the 82-year-old with the energy of someone much younger. “It prepared for me for putting up stock and getting everything in the store ready to serve customers until 1 a.m.,” she said, recalling the days when she and her husband, Joseph, a pastor who founded the Forge Baptist Church, lived in the cramped quarters above the store. Throughout it all, Ratcliffe has put a premium on assisting 26
/ SPRING 2018
Ratcliffe cited the support she received when she launched the annual Christmas supper at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Langford in the late 1980s as an example of what makes the West Shore such a special collection of communities. “There weren’t a lot of churches back then and every one pitched in to help out,” she noted proudly. “We’ve always had great support from local businesses
Sherman, Ratcliffe’s musician boyfriend for the past 10 years, is a kindred spirit in that regard. “He does a lot of work with street people in Victoria and Vancouver who are dealing with drug addiction and other problems,” she said. “He always tells me that I inspired him to do that kind of work. I think that’s why we get along so well.” When asked what the key to the Cloth Castle’s success has been, Ratcliffe is quick to reply “service, service, service!” She also credited her staff for being so faithful to her and the business. “I have such great people. Three of them have been here for 20 years. One of my staff just donated materials for a charity in Afghanistan. That says so much about the staff we have here. Helping schools is another priority for all of us. My family has been involved since they were very young as well.” The Cloth Castle is much more than the reams of material that fill the walls with colour. “We sell everything involved with sewing and quilting and have a huge selection of fabrics,” she noted. “We sell sewing machines, do some home decor, teach classes for beginners learning to quilt, and hold fabric arts classes three times a week.” Ratcliffe has some simple but sage advice to explain how she maintains such a hectic lifestyle. “If you exercise every day, try to eat healthy and keep a positive attitude, you will live a happier life. For me, faith in God is a big part of it as well.”