After a fire destroyed the Blue Heights Business Complex in Kelowna, a Vernon business owner says he won乌鸦传媒檛 be able to re-establish his venture anytime soon.
Innerspace Watersports has been in Vernon for 40 years, and its Kelowna location stood for 13 years before being reduced to rubble by the Tuesday (Feb. 15) morning blaze.
Owner Chad Edwards said he initially had hope that some of the store乌鸦传媒檚 merchandise would be salvageable, but once the scene cooled down he realized the only thing left was the building乌鸦传媒檚 exterior wall.
乌鸦传媒淚t took us 13 years to build that location from scratch,乌鸦传媒� said Edwards, who乌鸦传媒檚 been an Innerspace employee for 25 years and an owner for 17 years.
Innerspace now has to go through a mediation process with its insurance company, and the current outlook does not inspire confidence in a quick turnaround.
Edwards explained with COVID-19, high inflation and shipping rates, increased product costs and skyrocketing rental rates make it impossible to pivot quickly to another Kelowna location.
乌鸦传媒淔or this season unfortunately it does not look like we乌鸦传媒檒l be having a new location because the rebuild costs are higher than what the insurance most likely will cover to get going in that Kelowna market,乌鸦传媒� he said.
The store乌鸦传媒檚 products 乌鸦传媒� canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, scuba gear, snow sports equipment and the like 乌鸦传媒� have to be ordered a year in advance, so it will take at least that long to replace the destroyed merchandise.
Making sure all his staff members can still hold a job, Edwards is moving his Kelowna staff to the Vernon location for the time being.
乌鸦传媒淥ur Kelowna store was designed to expand our market share and business and make it a lot easier for customers to come see us without driving, but in the meantime, it乌鸦传媒檚 a beautiful 40-minute drive door to door from our old store to our new store,乌鸦传媒� said Edwards. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e encouraging people to grab a coffee and take a beautiful drive to Vernon and let us serve you the best that we can.乌鸦传媒�
In addition to equipment for a wide range of outdoor sports, Innerspace also offers lessons and instruction.
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