It’s the end of an era for a Vancouver institution for gardeners, as today saw the closing of the Art Knapp store.
Sales were brisk, with everything in the store marked down by 70 per cent as shoppers took in the last day of the last garden centre in downtown Vancouver.
“It’s disappointing not only for myself and employees, it’s definitely disappointing to the customer,” says Wim Vander Zalm, owner of Art Knapp.
The store has been at the Hornby Street location for thirty years. Vander Zalm says the business was growing until bike lanes were built a few years ago.
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Since then it’s been more of a struggle, but he says he tried to make his case to the city so the store could stay.
“We lease this from the city, and with Vancouver House going up, the adding of the Burrard street off-ramp, and tearing down buildings beside us, we said there’s not more hits we can take,” he said.
No one from the city was available to comment on camera today, but in an email a spokesperson said the real estate division tried to reach a deal, but couldn’t reach an agreement on the market rent payable for the property.
Vander Zalm wondered why there wasn’t more help from a city council that prides itself on being green.
“This is one of the best things you can do to be a green city, is sell the residents plants. And now that option is really, pretty much gone.”
– With files from Jill Bennett
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