Photo:  Pierre Jubinville, Courtesy, Pompano Bill

FORT LAUDERDALE – Pierre Jubinville, founder of Audace, one of the first clothing stores in South Florida to cater to the gay market, passed away on Saturday, February 19, 2011 of a heart attack. Jubinville was born February 23, 1954 in Coaticook, Quebec, Canada where he was the youngest boy in a family of 11 children with three brothers and three sisters surviving him. In 1978, upon completion of college, he became the owner of the family farm where he tripled the output volume in less than 10 years. In 1981, following in the footsteps of both his father and grand father, Jubinville became mayor of Coaticook, becoming the youngest mayor in the town’s history. In 1989, Jubinville decided to make a career change and sold the farm and took a year off to improve his English and obtained a U.S. visa. In 1990 he opened a high-end underwear/swim wear store on Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Audace. This was one of the first retail stores to cater to the gay community. It was also the first gay clothing store to have a website and had a large national sales base. Jubinville closed Audace in 2008 with the downturn in the nation’s economy.

“He was an incredible man and a good friend,” said Joel Subnick, who had been close friends with Jubinville for over 10 years. “He was a smart businessman, a great visionary and had a zillion friends.” There will be a Celebration of the Life of Pierre Jubinville at Georgie’s Alibi on Friday, March 4 from 4 to 7 p.m.