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Bestsellers closing up shop

Rent increase, shrinking margins force music and book store to close down

There’s a saying among commercial landlords – you have to squeeze the canary, but not so hard that the canary stops singing.

Bestsellers, Whistler’s only music store, will be stopping the music at the end of February. According to Bestsellers co-owner Garth Riess, his shop hasn’t been profitable since his last rent increase several years ago. He says his commercial landlord, Larco Investments of Vancouver, is planning to raise rents again in the New Year, and he has no choice but to close shop.

Pique attempted to contact Larco’s Whistler representative, but was informed that he is on holiday until next week, and that no one else was able to comment.

"It’s been 10 great years, and I’d like to thank everybody, all of our great customers," said Riess. "We’ve seen the local kids who used to come in here to buy children’s albums grow up to be teenagers who are buying Led Zepplin.

"We’ve built up a good base of loyal customers and we’re going to miss seeing them."

As an independent, Riess pays more for CDs than do large chain stores. Because he is limited by what he can charge customers, he makes smaller margins. What he misses in margins, he made up with volume in the past, doing a brisk trade with residents and visitors to the resort.

"We’re the busiest store in the area," said Riess, indicating that more than a dozen customers were already packed into his shop on a Friday morning. "If we can’t make it here, I don’t think anybody can."

The rent increase was the final straw, but it’s not the whole story he says.

"The rents were too high five years ago and they’re going up again. The only way we could stay open is if our rents went backwards, somebody would have to roll our rates backwards to before the previous increase," Riess said.

"The other stipulation is that stores like London Drugs should not be allowed to open here."

Riess co-owns another store in Pemberton, but says he is putting his house there up for sale. He doesn’t know where he’s going to go, or whether he will attempt to open up another music store. "It’s too hard for independents," he said.

The announcement will come as a blow to local musicians and writers. Riess has made it a practice to sell locally produced CDs and books in his store, giving up-and-coming artists the opportunity to reach a wider audience.

"I’ve been happy to be able to support them," said Riess. "There have been some amazing success stories over the years. (Australian) Xavier Rudd for example, he was living in Whistler and playing music and now he’s a huge international star. We promoted his stuff from the beginning, selling the CDs, playing it in our store, and look at him now."

Another artist they supported was Melanie Dekker, a North Vancouver singer and songwriter who plays frequently in Whistler and last summer opened at the Faith Hill concert.

Riess says he will also miss working with his staff, a group that includes his son. "I’ve had the same staff for a long time, the rest of the staff are like a family. I know I’m going to miss seeing them every day," he said.

Although it will be too late to save his business, Riess says it’s important for the village to have businesses that cater to residents and tourists, as well as independent stores to make the Whistler shopping experience unique.

"We need someplace to go here with rents competitive to what they are in the city," said Riess. Because of the high rents, he believes the only way most shops can make a profit is by catering to tourists.

The issue of rising rents in the village is being addressed by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, the Commercial Core Committee and Tourism Whistler. While there isn’t a shortage of ideas, most recognize that it will be an uphill battle to create either a residents’ shopping area, or an agreement between landlords and tenants.

Dave Davenport, the chair of the Chamber of Commerce Landlord/Tenant Task Force, says he can’t comment on one store closing shop, but said there are plans in the works to address the issues.

"We’re in the middle of (the Chamber’s) strategic planning for next year, and where the Landlord/Tenant Task Force fits into that will be decided in the next three or four weeks," said Davenport. "The initiative also seems to be taken up by the Commercial Core Committee and Tourism Whistler is working on something to dovetail to it as well. The Chamber is certainly an interested party in the success of both landlords and tenants, but the work of the task force will be better defined in the next three or four weeks."

David Campbell of Keir Fine Jewellery, a member of the Commercial Core Committee, said it’s unfortunate that not all small business models will work in Whistler, especially a business where the margins are low to begin with like independent music stores. Some stores have to relocate to areas like Function Junction to be profitable, he says.

Still, he believes independent stores are important for the visitor experience. "People aren’t going to come here and shop in the same stores for the same stuff they can get at home," he said.

Riess said Bestsellers will be having a blow-out sale as they get closer to closing, with sales starting in February and discounts getting larger as they get closer to their final day. All Bestsellers discount cards will be accepted, whether they’re completed or not.