The owner of a Halifax antique store has pulled Nazi-era items with the swastika from the shop, after an online outcry sparked by a couple who lost family members in the Holocaust.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the owner of Finer things Antiques & Curios on Quinpool Road apologized for having the items on display.
“We love our community, and members of our community have spoken out. Our interest is not in dividing or hurting, and it has become apparent that we have done both of these things,” the post read.
Owner Jack Craft explained the items were often brought back to Canada from veterans and passed down to family members, who then come to the store with an interest in selling them.
“We see them as reminders of triumph over tyranny and evil, and as inanimate objects that can no longer cause harm or pain. But simply because we see things from that perspective does not mean everyone does, and that is where our view is flawed. And we can’t thank you enough for bringing that to our attention,” the post reads.
Craft declined to comment when reached by Global News.
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Peggy Walt, who wrote the original Facebook post this past weekend criticizing the store after spotting the Nazi items, says she was “pleasantly surprised” to hear the store was no longer selling them.
“I think the owner really reached out a hand. He listened, he heard what we were saying and what other people were saying and we’re grateful for that,” Walt said.
Walt’s husband Shimon has family members who died during the Holocaust, and the couple were shocked to discover the store was selling Nazi party badges and medals featuring swastikas on them.
Initially, Craft defended the decision to sell the items. In a reply to Walt’s post, he said the items were displayed alongside other military items and that they “do not glorify Nazi items nor do we display them in our front window” and that “such artifacts have historical and educational value.”
READ: Jewish group complains about Nazi memorabilia being sold at Pickering, Ont., antiques market
The debate spread across the country and Walt said she was contacted by several people who were upset or wanted to see Nazi items removed from their local stores.
“It’s not only a Halifax conversation. I think it sparked a conversation right across the country, which I think is important. It touched a nerve with a lot of people,” Walt said.
“What I take away from it is, and for me personally, we need to pay more attention to each other’s stories and histories. I think it’s important to listen to what they’re saying.”
Walt says she and her husband have been in touch with Craft and plan to meet in person soon to talk further.
WATCH: Antique market in Pickering pulls its Nazi memorabilia after complaint lodged
She’d also like to see the conversation continue and possibly lead to a ban on the sale of these items.
“At some point, I think you have to say, ‘Why are we buying this stuff and why are we profiting from this stuff?’ Maybe there should be a law. There needs to be more discussion about that,” she said.
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