Few business closures have hit our readers quite like one that happened a few weeks ago on the North Shore.
We received several letters to the editor and other messages about this one.
“We would like to say thank you to all of the terrific staff, many [of whom] have worked there for years,” one letter writer stated. “We will miss you.”
Another letter writer listed staff members by name. Barb and Dixon, Scott and Nazim, Shannon and Beth, and good old Bo.
“As a faithful patron of this location, I travel at least once or twice a week to this store,” the writer said, adding that she would come all the way from her home deep in West Vancouver, passing several similar stores, just to shop at this particular one.
We wrote a little article about the closure, and the comment section was soon filled with similar sentiments.
“We went to the store because of you,” one commenter wrote about the staff. “You cared about your customers and your work and the store reflected that. You are truly appreciated and we hope you’ll find work in a place that suits your financial and commuting needs. You will be missed.”
Another one called the place “small and special,” adding that this was the only store of its kind that they “actually looked forward to exploring…. It was their incredibly helpful staff that added the magic. I’ll miss it forever.”
Miss it forever? Wow, that’s some real emotion! What store are we talking about here? A specialty whisky dealer? A heart transplant shop? An indie book store/record shop/chocolatier/coffee roaster/massage parlour? Ikea?
Nope. It was a mid–size grocery store. Thrifty Foods on Marine Drive in North Vancouver, to be exact, and people were really broken up about it. Was the sadness a bit over-the-top maybe?
I’m going to say … not really. I know that store well. It opened around the time my family moved to North Vancouver, and it became our go-to grocer, first because of proximity, but later because it was a really, really nice place to shop.
I asked my wife what she liked about it and she got all glowy and gushed for five minutes. It was “chill” and “comfortable” she said, adding that it was one of the very few stores she felt OK visiting when she was an always-sick pregnant lady. That comfort level somehow stayed during the pandemic weirdness.
And then when we had young kids we loved bringing them to the store because everyone was always so nice to them. Barb was our favourite – she was their buddy! One time they had a colouring contest and she encouraged my kids to submit something. They both won prizes. I’m not saying Barb made that happen, but I’m not not saying that either.
The store really was stacked with super nice and helpful people, unlike any grocery store I’ve encountered, at least outside the small-town Co-ops and such where everyone is your neighbour and has been working there for 80 years.
I was bummed to hear that it closed. There’s not much to do now other than to say thanks. We’re not, as one reader suggested, going to do a deep investigative piece to find the dark truth behind the closure. My wild guess is that having a “chill” grocery store is not the best for the bottom line. It was a bit of a tricky location to get to, and there are other, bigger stores nearby.
There is a lesson there, though, in how you can make a positive impression on many people no matter where you are or what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re a neurosurgeon, a barber, the Pope or Barb.
Kindness goes a long way. Thanks for the smiles.
Andy Prest is the editor of the North Shore News. His humour/lifestyle column runs biweekly.
