The owner of a company closing its Sidney location after more than three decades this month says he will continue to look for retail space in Sidney, but it might be a while until it returns to the region.
B次元官网网址淚s it [a return to Sidney] going to happen in the next three to four months?B次元官网网址� asked Mike Black, owner of Capital Iron, a local retail chain. B次元官网网址淣o, that would not be realistic. But if the right opportunity comes along, I would certainly look at it. But as of today, there is nothing there that is being built or available that would work for us.B次元官网网址�
Black made those comments as the company prepares to close its Sidney location with Jan. 18 being the last day of sales.
When asked about the closure, Black said it should not be read as a verdict against the municipality as a retail environment.
B次元官网网址淚 think Sidney is still the hub [for the Saanich Peninsula],B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 havenB次元官网网址檛 looked at Keating Cross Road.B次元官网网址� Available research shows Sidney is a good market, he added later. B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 comment on how successful Home Hardware, Canadian Tire and Slegg are, but they seem to be chugging along.B次元官网网址� As for smaller businesses, some open, and some close, like anything else, he added.
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Denny Warner, executive director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, sounded a similar note. B次元官网网址淚 would say that the community is in transformation,B次元官网网址� she said, pointing to the arrival of The FarmerB次元官网网址檚 Daughter, a cheese shop and wine bar operating on Beacon Avenue, as evidence of its attractiveness. Other recent arrivals on SidneyB次元官网网址檚 Beacon Avenue include Anytime Fitness, occupying a former convenience store, and a new gallery for photographers.
This said, she is also aware of proposals, who are holding back because of the lack of attractive retail space.
(By way of background, Sidney and the owners of Happy Buddha Cannabis find themselves in court after the municipality denied their application for what would be SidneyB次元官网网址檚 first cannabis retail store. Proponents of the store on council as well as the community-at-large have argued that it promises to revitalize Beacon Avenue. However, not everybody has accepted the premise that Beacon Avenue requires revitalization).
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Ultimately, Black said SidneyB次元官网网址檚 Capital Iron is closing because the current store lacks outdoor space for items that are selling well in the companyB次元官网网址檚 Langford and downtown Victoria locations, including barbecues, patio furniture and hot tubs among others.
B次元官网网址淲e need outdoor space for that, and we just donB次元官网网址檛 have any there,B次元官网网址� he said.
It was not always this way. For several years, the Sidney location had successfully operated a seasonal store just off Beacon Avenue by renting space from a local garden nursery, space that has since disappeared when Home Hardware took over the location, said Black.
B次元官网网址淭hen we tried another place, then we tried another place, and the sales in those areas just werenB次元官网网址檛 working,B次元官网网址� said Black. B次元官网网址淪o that was impacting that side of the business, and as I said, it is a big part of our business in Langford and in downtown [Victoria].B次元官网网址�
Accordingly, the company chose not renew its lease at its current location. B次元官网网址淲e are still going to keep our nose out there, looking [for space] in Sidney, but we donB次元官网网址檛 think it is the right time to sign another lease in that spot.B次元官网网址�
Black said Capital Iron is leaving its current location after more than 20 years. It had first operated out of a location on Bevan Avenue in 1988.
That was also the year when Black, a former naval officer, joined the company after his military service in the Canadian navy. His first job with the company took him B次元官网网址� you guessed it B次元官网网址� to Sidney. While Black only worked in that location for a couple of months to learn the retail business from the ground up, the pending closure goes beyond the bottom line.
B次元官网网址淚t was a tough decision for me,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t was not a choice that I made easily. But at the end of the day, you have to do what you think is right.B次元官网网址�
Black said all staff at the Sidney location B次元官网网址� anywhere between 10 and 12 individuals B次元官网网址� received job offers at the other locations. B次元官网网址淭wo people have taken that,B次元官网网址漢e said. B次元官网网址淪ome people decided that they rather try to look for work closer to home.B次元官网网址�
With the Sidney store closing and the spring season on the horizon, the companyB次元官网网址檚 focus will shift to its two remaining locations, said Black.
This said, Black travels to Sidney on a semi-regular basis and remains in touch with leasing agents. In other words, a return is not out of the question, assuming the right location come along.
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