By David F. Rooney
It was a bittersweet decision for Kate McKenzie but in the end she decided to be realistic and close down her fun little business, Got Scraps!
Her shop at 414 First Street West will close its doors for good on March 24. In the meantime she is offering deep price cuts as she unloads her stock of craft and scrapbooking materials.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” she said Monday. “On the one hand I’m closing a business I enjoyed. On the other hand I won’t be dealing with the stress I’ve been under for the last year.”
McKenzie said the recession caused a serious decline in sales and while she had hoped to see a marked increase in business before, during and after Christmas, that simply didn’t happen. So, after a talk with her accountant she decided to pull the plug on her three-year-old business.
“The last year was definitely different — I get it: scrapbooking is a hobby. And that’s going to be low priority for people when you have to put food on the table. I feel badly for those people who are just getting into it, but I can’t sustain this.”
As for her locksmithing business, McKenzie is still pondering what to do about that. And, of course, she’s thinking about the future, too.
“I’ve chambermaided, done retail sales and I’ve been in management, too, so I’ll be okay,” she said. “Right now I’m helping out at Little Casears taking orders from the kids. I’ll just be happy not to be the boss anymore.”
Got Scraps! will go out of business on March 24. In the meantime, the store is offering deep discounts on its stock.
This is the third business in two months to announce a closure. Both Classic Touch Jewellery and Nanimahoo’s Native Art Gallery announced they were going out of business earlier this year.
