Calgary icon going out of business

[Rwede]

Riley & McCormick, one of Alberta's oldest western wear businesses, is closing







Guichon’s been selling cowboy hats, boots and everything else you’d need to look the part at the Calgary Stampede since the 1980s.

But his retail roots run much deeper, with his grandfather Eneas McCormick co-founding the store as a saddlery with William James Riley in 1901 — before Alberta was even officially a province.

For Guichon, closing the Stephen Avenue store, with its weary wooden horse out front, means the city is losing a bit of its identity.

“I guess in a lot of respects we were a cultural icon,” he said. “The difference between Calgary downtown and Toronto downtown would be the fact that we have a western culture, and we won’t be there to contribute to it.”

Guichon noted more taxes, an increased minimum wage and inflexible landlords all helped pile on the business costs, while the emptying-out of downtown offices and fewer people wearing western gear bit into sales.


http://calgaryherald.com/business/local ... is-closing

[K_teela]

Or you know...from the article:

“Sales aren’t what they used to be,” Guichon said. “We’ve had a rough go the last couple of years and it’s just time.”

fewer people wearing western gear bit into sales.

A disappointing Calgary Stampede this summer, combined with the other pressures, prompted Guichon to call it a day

Low sales are wheat lead him to close, the NDP boogeyman didn't show up and force him to close down like you are attempting to convey with your post title.

Plus,

He says the Riley & McCormick name could still live on with online sales and a Calgary airport outlet.

He's hardly "out of business" which you are also attempting to mislead on. The location is just too expensive for what his profit is.

Alberta had all it's eggs in one basket, oil tanked...Alberta inst doing too well, people have less disposable income. This leads to low sales were slow at this store, it wasn't worth keeping it open. That's it, that's business...several businesses are having trouble in Alberta at the moment. There's nothing political about it.

[hobbyguy]

And as noted in similar stories, the biggest tax increase bite for downtown Calgary businesses has nothing to do with the Alberta NDP, it is a big jump in property taxes. There will be a small bite from the carbon tax - but NOT until 2017.

The NDP are not my favorite political party, but it is best to stick to real factual arguments.

[GordonH]

Sometimes a business just runs its course, biggest single hit here sounds like sales have dropped off.
Better to just cut ones loses and walk away.

[Rwede]

Sometimes a business just runs its course, biggest single hit here sounds like sales have dropped off.
Better to just cut ones loses and walk away.

How do you know what the biggest hit is?

Would they still be open if Notley hadn't heaped a 20% tax increase, a 34% wage increase, and a soon to be determined carbon tax on them?

Seriously, if you're struggling with lower sales, should government hammer you with massive tax and wage hikes too?

Next time you see someone close to drowning, think wisely before you throw them a cannonball to hang onto.

[GordonH]

Sometimes a business just runs its course, biggest single hit here sounds like sales have dropped off.
Better to just cut ones loses and walk away.

How do you know what the biggest hit is?
if customers are not buying, with a business is sales. Then thats biggest hit
Would they still be open if Notley hadn't heaped a 20% tax increase, a 34% wage increase, and a soon to be determined carbon tax on them?

Seriously, if you're struggling with lower sales, should government hammer you with massive tax and wage hikes too?

Next time you see someone close to drowning, think wisely before you throw them a cannonball to hang onto.

“Sales aren’t what they used to be,” Guichon said. “We’ve had a rough go the last couple of years and it’s just time.”

Lets see wage increase only happen couple months ago & quote say last couple of years

[hobbyguy]

If'n yall aren't making any money, yall ain't payin' no income tax increase.

My guess is that store, given its poor sales, might need 4 employees at max. $1.00/hr x 4 x 37.5 = $150/week. Hardly a recipe for driving a business into bankruptcy.

The drop in oil prices and the big layoffs in Calgary and Alberta are going to hit specialty luxury end retailers the hardest. When times get tough, folks will buy food and necessary stuff like school supplies, replacement work boots etc. - but cowboy boots and cowboy hats? Not so much.

So time to stop digging...

[maryjane48]

Im sure rachel is expecting cheapshots from ol boys club but facts are shes for pipelines while christy in bc is against them

[Even Steven]

I think it's simply because cowboy look is so ridiculous and outdated. Like seriously, nobody is wearing clothes from colonial England. Nobody is wearing raccoon hats in Canada. No French musketeers roaming streets.

But cowboy people still think it's cool to wear clothes from 200 years ago.

[hobbyguy]

But I like my cowboy boots.

[bob vernon]

Cowboy boots are comfortable for a part of the year. But the whole tight jeans, plaid shirt, big hat, and a belt buckle the size of a hubcap look has been rejected by today's urban generation. This isn't Aberhart's and Manning's Bible belt brush-cut Alberta anymore. Calgary went over a million population long ago and they aren't country folk anymore. Young urban professionals aren't into the western thing anymore. I'm sure some will believe this is part of a leftist plot to change Alberta, but it's just Alberta growing into something different.

[coffeeFreak]

I couldn't help but wonder, why, after all these years of being "successful" are they still dealing with landlords?

[Rwede]

I couldn't help but wonder, why, after all these years of being "successful" are they still dealing with landlords?

Because that is the business model that has allowed them to be successful for all these years.

Do you think Safeway owns many stores? In Kelowna, they lease from outfits like Rio Can. It works for them.

The change for their business was Rachel Notley's massive tax increases and dampening of the Alberta economy. When investors take their money elsewhere, and your customers lose their jobs as a result, combined with your government increasing your tax and labour burdens, you're basically hooped.

[GordonH]

^^^ worldwide oil price drop off has & continues to have its effect i.e local steel company on Enterprise (Oh dear that not an Alberta based company).
Hmm... food or new cowboy hat, major debate. lol

[Rwede]

^^^ worldwide oil price drop off has & continues to have its effect i.e local steel company on Enterprise (Oh dear that not an Alberta based company).
Hmm... food or new cowboy hat, major debate. lol

You have a lack of understanding of economic drivers, and have just pointed to the long-reaching arm of Notley's policies.

Enterprise Steel is a casualty of Notley's idiocy. ES's customer base is in Alberta, and Notley has destroyed ES's customers' business.

Figure it out.

BTW, oil has just entered a secular bull market. Yet, Alberta shows no sign of recovery, and in fact is predicting worsening local conditions for the industry. Figure that out, too.