Redtag Kids opened only six weeks ago, but now signs for the children’s consignment store in Lethbridge, Alta. are being taken down and the inside of the shop is bare.
Shayla Smyth is one of about 10 people who are still waiting to be paid for their items. She thinks her belongings worth about $50.
Smyth tried contacting the owners but had no luck.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “I thought, at least a message saying ‘the store is closed, come get you stuff, this is the situation’ … No, just block me and leave me in the dark.
“I put it on Facebook and (said), ‘Hey, heads up to everyone else, it’s closed overnight.”
It came as a shock to many online.
One small business, Twin Accessories, told Global News it has more than $700 worth of product it can’t access.
The former general manager didn’t want to appear on camera or even be named in this story, but he did provide a written statement, saying in part:
“On Wednesday, Oct. 12 the landlord entered the premises and kicked out the staff and customers in the store and gave a notice that he was terminating the lease. He immediately changed the locks and gave us no access to the store … After several failed attempts to get access, we notified the landlord’s lawyer that there are items in the store that aren’t the property of Redtag Kids Inc. and belong to the public.”
He cites a disagreement over certain parts of the lease and an unexpected $10,000 utility bill for the first month as two reasons for the sudden closure.
Global News reached out to the owners of the building, Calman Ltd. The only written comment they offered was: the situation with Redtag Kids is before the courts.
Redtag Kids in the hamlet of Langdon also closed its doors.
Employees also took to Facebook, expressing concerns over pay.
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Former manager Jenn Wright-Hall says she wasn’t paid for her last two weeks of work.
The former GM’s response was: “All employees were always paid on time. The last pay period was interrupted when Redtag Kids ceased operating and became insolvent last Wednesday after the termination of the lease and pending lawsuit.”
It’s still unknown where all the items are.
The former Redtag Kid’s GM says he has been in touch with Calman Ltd, but they haven’t worked anything out on whether or not people will see their belongings again.
“Redtag Kids Inc. is very disappointed with this situation, especially in Lethbridge, as we had no intention of having to close that store as we had nothing but compliments with the store and people were very happy we were open,” the former GM said. “The store was getting busier and busier and after all the hard work put in the last few months to get up and running to be shut down after being open just two months when we were just getting started.”
There were also plans to expand Redtag Kids in Alberta and to B.C., but they have put it on hold.
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