'Our business has been devastated': Capital City Luggage in Ottawa closes Saturday
While many businesses celebrated being able to reopen with more eased restrictions Friday, Capital City Luggage in Wellington West is preparing to close.
"We've been here 36 years," said Linda Greenberg who owns the store with her husband Murray. "Wellington West has been a wonderful area to be in, wonderful customers, very loyal customers."
Greenberg says the COVID-19 pandemic that brought travel to a halt was the biggest factor.
"Our industry's been hit terribly," she said. "We've lost suppliers, the rents regretfully, people just aren't travelling and we don't anticipate them travelling for another year so it's time."
The store along Wellington Street West is one of the largest independent luggage retail and repair shops in the country.
"If you were gonna go travelling this is where you wanted to be," said long-time customer Peggy Follis. "I'm sad, it's an icon in this neighbourhood."
Items like luggage, travel accessories and clothing are all marked down.
"I'm going to have to find somewhere else and I'm not really up to doing that right now so what I've done is stock up on their sales," said another long-time customer Eileen Duffin.
The Greenberg's are not ruling out reopening sometime in the future.
"Our daughter, Amanda, she's trained as a repair technician as well, so hopefully if she opens up in a year or so we'll just go work for her," said Greenberg laughing.
"I wish them well and thank them for their service and their expertise through the years that we've needed them," said Follis.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.