Rosemary Heights residents are rallying behind owners of their neighbourhood corner store, following news the business’s lease would not be renewed.
“We need to do something here,” said Lorraine Klassen, who routinely brings her grandchildren to the Rosemary Heights Market.
“Every neighbourhood has a community store.”
Owners of the market, located at 3388 Rosemary Heights Cresc., learned earlier this year that the latest lease, which expires June 30, would not be renewed.
In late March, Gurdeep Duggal – in declining to go public with the issue at the time – told Peace Arch News the situation was “a big headache for me,” but that he hoped that an appeal to landlord Ocean Park Development, backed by a petition from customers, would change the decision.
However, Duggal’s son, Gurk, said last Friday that has not been the case.
“It’s end of the lease and they’re not renewing it. The landlord doesn’t even want to meet (with) me.”
Messages left by PAN for the landlord – both in March and last week – were not returned.
Gurk Duggal said 1,500 signatures have been collected in support of keeping the store at the site. If the lease isn’t renewed, it will be the end of the family business, he said.
The store has been in the community for 14 years; the Duggals have owned it since 2010, he said.
