Business associations in Halifax say the recent closure of a unique, popular crystal shop is yet another reminder of the impact the pandemic is having on local businesses.
On Thursday, NovaScotian Crystal announced its intention to shut its doors for good due to the financial pressures that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are not able to envision a sustainable business in the foreseeable future,” the company said in a public statement.
“During the pandemic we continued to benefit from positive online sales but we lost the significant portion of business from our retail showroom.”
NovaScotian Crystal is Canada’s last maker of mouth-blown and hand-cut crystal. It’s been based in Halifax for the past 20 years, but will close its doors for good by the end of February.
“It was disappointing and sad,” said Victor Day, a customer of NovaScotian Crystal. “They are true craftsmen.
“It’s very unfortunate that something that provides a true, quality craftsmanship is going by the wayside.”
Patrick Sullivan, general manager of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, says the closure is yet another reminder that even businesses with a unique model like NovaScotian Crystal are facing an unprecedented pinch.
He says that’s why how Public Health handles restrictions on businesses over the next few weeks will be critical.
“I received an email today, I received an email yesterday from businesses that are on the verge,” said Sullivan. “Remember where we are right now. You can’t gather in a group larger than 10 people.
“There are businesses that are going to be shut down every month from now until September if we don’t start to make a real difference in terms of people being able to gather and attend events.”
In its notice to customers, NovaScotian Crystal said the lack of tourism played a significant role in their financial difficulties.
“As a result of COVID-19 and limited access to the Halifax waterfront we were without cruise ship visitors, tourists and customers,” the statement reads. “Restrictions on our business also severely curtailed our production capacity.”
Ross Jefferson, president and CEO of Discover Halifax, says even though there’s optimism for this summer’s tourism season, the ripple effect from the lack of tourists over the past year will remain far-reaching.
“This isn’t just tourism businesses, this is affecting the full supply chain. Even for the average citizen, everyone’s being impacted,” said Jefferson. “Property taxes are certainly going to be impacted in our municipality, revenues to the province through sales taxes, as well as employment taxes.”
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Jefferson says over the past year, visitation at hotels has decreased 69 per cent from the same time period last year, with the estimated loss in revenue pegged at $750 million.
“Here in Halifax, that’s about 37,000 jobs and about 4,000 businesses that are in this industry,” said Jefferson.
As for NovaScotian Crystal, the company says it will continue to fulfil customer orders until its planned closing at the end of February.
Thirty-seven employees and craftsmen will be impacted by the closure.
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