Some Moncton business owners are closing up shop, and they say a tough winter is to blame.
Tuesday marked Jason Stirling’s last day of taking orders at a pizza shop in the city. He estimates business is down 75 per cent from last winter, saying the record snowfall kept people off the streets and made it difficult for potential customers to find parking.
“This winter was absolutely depressing with all the storms, sidewalks not being cleared, nobody could get to the shop,” says Stirling. “A lot of the parking meters were even covered up with snow.”
After two and a half years, the owner has decided to close the shop, putting Stirling out of a job.
“It means I’m on the job market, looking for work,” he says.
Some businesses on Moncton’s Main Street are suffering too; half a dozen shops and restaurants have closed, and others are on the brink.
“Our first winter wasn’t so bad, but this last one has been very slow,” says Ola Akinmokun, who owns a clothing store. “I mean, we hardly saw people.”
The Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce says many business owners are expressing concerns about a big drop in sales this winter.
“This year has been especially challenging because we lost so many days due to storm closures,” said CEO Carol O’Reilly in a statement to CTV News. “Once any business loses that revenue it’s gone, and they can never get it back.”
While Stirling may be out of a job, Akinmokun has yet to decide whether he will keep his doors open this spring.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
