Having originally come from Dayton, in 1986 the Gill Family opened their first retail store in the Trotwood Foodtown complex. By the following year they’d moved to 2539 Shiloh Springs Road, where they’ve been doing business, and very successfully ever since. 

Gill Mart & Company Boutique’s owners are husband Balbir and wife Paviter Gill. Gill Mart’s General Manager is their daughter Melody, a Trotwood-Madison High School graduate who attended Westbrook Elementary and later earned Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Dayton. Together they all share a special affinity for the Trotwood community, where they have also resided for the past 18 years.

“We just love the people of Trotwood,” says Balbir. “We’re very fortunate to be able to run a family-oriented business here, and we consider all of our customers part of our extended family.”

Adds Melody, “Everyone who ever comes in here ends up being our friend.”

According to their website, www.gillmart.com, “Welcome to the fashion world of Gill Mart & Co., Dayton’s premier boutique for special occasion attire and the hottest styles for the runway look. Since 1987 Gill Mart & Co. has provided an upscale shopping environment. We are committed to providing customers with the best selection of quality designer clothing, with striking fashions and exceptional customer service. Here you will find a look that is truly unique for any special occasion.”

Gill Mart carries one-of-a-kind, high-end Church Wear. They have a huge Prom Gown collection, which features former ‘Miss Universe’ gowns. And they also carry a major line of furs, available exclusively through Saks and Nordstrom’s, which by next Holiday Season they expect to be the largest and most competitively priced in the entire Dayton region.

Says Melody, “We’ve also been able to find and match up exact, yet very affordable versions of all the ‘Oprah’ Dresses featured over time on the covers of her magazine.”

As a part of their business enterprise they conduct a tremendous amount of community-oriented endeavors. For years they have staged free fashion shows and other events for such leading social organizations as: Breast Cancer Awareness; the National Council of Negro Women; the NAACP Youth Council; Shiloh Baptist Church; True Vine Group Christian Book Club; Sisters United for Prevention; Kiwanis Group; Helping Hands Reaching Out and many others.

According to Balbir, “We’ve been very successful with these community-focused activities, and believe it’s an essential part of being a good neighbor in this great community.”

They believe superior customer service is a big reason why the people of Trotwood keep coming to shop there.

“It’s all about the little things we do,” says Melody. “Like saving a certain dress for someone who wants to be the only one wearing it to a particular event, which often means we can’t sell that dress to anyone else. While maybe not the most profitable business practice, that’s just one example of how far we’ll go to keep our customers happy.”    

Not content to rest on their success, they have plans to expand the current business and maybe even move into others. For instance, they recently purchased the former Applebee’s property. Although their initial plan was to build a bigger store there, they have since decided to explore the possibility of turning it into a restaurant again to help the City of Trotwood with potential economic development.

“We have great partners in the community,” continues Balbir. “Like the City of Trotwood, which has always been very helpful to us. They’ve always been there when we needed them.”

But their passion for Trotwood extends well beyond their own business interests.

“However Gill Mart might help others in Trotwood succeed with their businesses, we’re ready to be of assistance,” adds Balbir. “Because we all need to work together to keep our dollars in this great community.”

“In the future we’d like to have a major community project built here within Trotwood’s main business hub. And we’d also like to see some larger scale community events that could attract more people from outside of Trotwood.”

Gill Mart & Company is located at 2539 Shiloh Springs Road. Operating hours are Monday-Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Private appointments are available. For more information please contact General Manager Melody Gill at (937) 854-7510, or visit www.gillmart.com.