Summerland’s Twisted Whiskers closing as owner says wildfire added to business struggles

A Summerland, B.C., thrift store will permanently close its doors in December, after two difficult years in business and a summer tourism season disrupted by the Bald Range wildfire.

Owner Jules Zest says she was already considering closing Twisted Whiskers Café and Thrift Store before the fire, but the challenges of this summer helped make the decision easier.

“It was on the burner already. I was already thinking I needed to close,” Zest said.

Zest opened the store hoping to create a space where people could shop, socialize and make art.

“I really wanted this place where people could come and hang out and have friends and do art,” she said.

But keeping a small business going has been difficult. Zest says the summer season is particularly important because strong sales can help businesses get through the rest of the year.

“The summertime supports the rest of the year. If you don’t make money during the summer, you might not survive,” she said.

The wildfire came during that crucial period. Zest says she worried about her business while she was evacuated and expected people to return to Summerland once the immediate danger had passed.

“During the fires, everyone was saying how they will come and support Summerland. Now that the fires are over, no one is here,” she said.

Zest says many of her customers have traditionally come from outside the community, making tourism particularly important to her business.

“When I asked customers who shopped here over the last two years, it was almost always people not from Summerland,” she said.

Brett Ziegler, a volunteer at Twisted Whiskers and member of the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, says the store is not an isolated example.

“I have seen many businesses close, open, close, open, close. It’s a conundrum,” Ziegler said.

For Ziegler, asking people to shop local only matters if it leads to people actually supporting businesses.

“Hearing shop local support, it isn’t enough to say it. We need to figure out how we can do that more,” he said.

For shoppers, however, spending locally can be difficult when household budgets are tight. South Okanagan resident Michelle Raynier says being conscious of how much money she spends affects where she shops.

“People are very money conscious right now and that’s what I find hard about shopping local,” Raynier said.

Still, local leaders are encouraging people to spend their money in the community.

“It is summer, we are open, we have a beautiful area with lots to offer. We hope everyone can come out and support local,” said Amelia Boultbee, MLA for Penticton Summerland.

Twisted Whiskers will operate as a thrift store and café for the final time in September. Zest plans to run glass fusing workshops in October, November and December before permanently closing the business.