Although I could drag this out over a number of posts, I figured I might as well get this out of the way fast. So here it is, the list of some of the places that are closing down or have already closed:
- The Mantique Outlet store on West 4th (1974 @ Cypress) is shutting its doors soon. It doesn’t look like this will affect the regular Mantique stores on 4th (2128 @ Arbutus) and Broadway (2907 @ Bayswater).
- When The Earth Collection (2190 West 4th @ Yew) opened back in the spring of last year, my wife predicted they wouldn’t last a year. And it is with some sadness that I have to report that she was right. I’ve always liked the look of this store and really thought they would have a shot. They will be open until January 31st, and everything in the store is on sale.
- My first thought when Rob told me that The Write Place (2723 Arbutus Street @ West 12th) will be closing soon, was to write a gloat post. That thought didn’t last very long. Although I may not like the place, I hate to see it go. Places closing down is a sad sad thing, especially when they are independent stores. It isn’t hard to imagine that in the majority of cases someone’s dream has been shattered, let alone someone’s livelihood.
- The last place on the list is Current Clothing (2539 West Broadway @ Larch). My wife and I were having lunch at White Spot last Thursday and we literally saw the Realtor drive up and put the “for lease” sign in the window. A sad sight.
I’m sure I missed some recent closures and I am sure there are still more to come.
Last modified: January 26, 2009
An interesting follow-up to this post would be asking the owners the reason for leaving. Why are they going? Tired of the business? Moving locations because of cheaper rent?
I suspect, to Raul’s point, it’s because of rent and/or income issues. With more and more people wanting to spend less, business that were on ‘the retail outer limits’ are probably getting squeezed.
Another interesting follow-up to this post would be:
Kitsilano retailers that aren’t closing, but should think about it!
I’ve got a few for you…
As a relative newcomer to Kitsilano (almost one year now), one of the reasons I chose to live here was the diversity of independent stores, restaurants and shops. It’s sad to see, less so for the neighborhood and more so for the above mentioned dreams and livelihoods.
Just sad.