For as long as I can remember, there’s been a Greek restaurant on Hastings near Alpha in North Burnaby.
For most of the time, it was Cristos – an outstanding place with some delicate grilled calamari that always made my day.
I had many a fine meal there, including Christmas parties that were filled with great food, music and a lot of laughter. Cristos always worked hard to update its building with nice murals.
And then COVID-19 arrived and at some point, Cristos became The Zeus, which added a nice patio in the parking lot in an attempt to accommodate diners not ready to be inside a restaurant during a pandemic.
The Zeus, however, has now been closed. Its website says “until further notice” and the web listing is still up, but I recently drove by and there is now a leasing sign up in the window facing Hastings.
How sad is all of this? As a former restaurant co-owner, I know well how much blood and sweat and tears are poured into running them. There long hours and hard work, but when the customers are happy and things are busy it’s a real rush.
To see the pandemic continually pound business owners is terribly frustrating.
I’ve spoken to so many Burnaby restaurant owners who say they are hanging on by their fingernails as the pandemic drags on. There is one business near my home that is virtually empty every time I drive by it. I don’t know how they are still in business. It should be noted that there are many restaurants managing to open new outlets in Burnaby, although they are mostly from large chains that seem to have pretty deep pockets. Smaller, independent restaurants are definitely being hurt more.
And it’s not just restaurants.
Colton’s Couture has closed its biggest store, a 2,100-square-foot location in Burnaby’s biggest mall, Metropolis at Metrotown, as the pandemic hits many businesses through a slow-down in shoppers.
Colton’s Couture in Burnaby was a store that dripped luxury items, including Canada Goose jackets, plus clothing, shoes and accessories. The chain operates other stores, including in Richmond and Park Royal mall in West Vancouver. The Burnaby store had only been open for a couple of years.
The company started out as an exclusive fashion club with people buying memberships to gain access to luxury items.
The closure is another lost store in Metropolis, which has seen the loss of such brands as Microsoft, Frank and Oak, Pink and others.
The closure comes amid mixed sales numbers in Canada.
Canadian retail sales rose 2.1 per cent to $57.2 billion in August, boosted by gains at food and beverage stores, gasoline stations and clothing and clothing accessories stores.
However, Statistics Canada said its initial estimate for September suggests retail sales reversed course in September and fell 1.9 per cent, though it cautioned the figure will be revised.
- With files from the Canadian Press
