Bentley Leather plans to reopen in a different spot in the Chahko Mika Mall within a couple of weeks after being displaced by a government office.
The luggage retailer closed Thursday in preparation for Service Canada’s move into the mall, but Kevin Staveley, the company’s vice-president of sales and operations, says they will be back in business soon.
“We’re going to be relocating to a temporary store and trying to get into a regular store in the next couple of months or so,” he says. “We’ve been back and forth with the mall and finally we’ve got something hammered out.”
Staveley says the handful of employees still have jobs.
However, neighbouring Northern Reflections will close permanently as of July 24, putting five people out of work, while the fate of Please Mum remains unclear.
The new Service Canada office will displace all three. The federal government confirms accessibility was a chief reason in deciding to relocate from the lower levels of Kutenai Place, where staff are on two floors.
“A review of the space needed for the Nelson Service Canada centre determined that a smaller location would be more practical,” Human Resources and Skills Development Canada said in an email. “We are now working on a new location that will better accommodate the needs of the Service Canada centre and clients.”
The agency says the move “is consistent with the Service Canada business model of aiming to locate in storefront locations that have access to good parking and existing client traffic flow.”
Service Canada administers a variety of programs and services, including employment insurance, passport applications, old age security, and Canada Pension Plan.
The move is expected to be complete by late October or early November.