As the end of an era for Britannia Beach draws near, the prospect of soon closing her little shop in the area has Carol Simonovic reflecting on what that she鈥檒l miss most about her time there.
At Earthly Crystals and Gifts 鈥� also known locally as the jade store 鈥� she greeted customers with warm hugs, watched people crowd out by the water to spot dolphins and even spoke with self-identified clairvoyants on ghost hunts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard for the small businesspeople 鈥� really, really, really hard,鈥� said the Squamish resident of 13 years. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e losing something that feeds you and your family, it鈥檚 not a good feeling to be on the edge and not knowing what the next anything is.鈥�
When the single mother of one shuts down her business in the coming months, her shop will be one of several stores that will be closing to make way for a new development in the north end of Britannia Beach.聽
Indeed, the Macdonald Development Corporation, which owns the land, recently said the following shops have either shuttered or will be expected to close by the end of this summer 鈥� Earthly Crystals and Gifts, Gold Trail Jewellers, the Britannia Beach General Store and Howe Sound Art Gallery.
The Model Shop will also be closing, though a timeline for this hasn鈥檛 been fleshed out, and the local post office will be shut down temporarily, with the expectation it will return to reside in the new development being built in the area.
Many of the shops, including Simonovic鈥檚, have decades-long histories and have served as landmarks for the hundreds who live in the Britannia Beach area, as well as the many who travel along the Sea to Sky Highway.
鈥淓verything is changing so fast and so high-end,鈥� said Simonovic, who took over Earthly Crystals from her sister in 2009. 鈥淚 have to go up north and find a place I can call home and one day retire in because everything is unattainable.鈥�
It鈥檚 a fact of life that鈥檚 become increasingly common in Squamish and its nearby areas, as the rapid pace of development has dramatically changed the landscape in recent years.聽
In the north end of Britannia Beach, one of the main obstacles to these changes has been removed. Since 2015, the province has been chiselling away at now-defunct dams in the area, reducing the risk of flood and debris, opening up the land to possible development.
It鈥檚 an opportunity that Macdonald Development is now capitalizing on.聽
A development permit has yet to be issued, but the company anticipates this shouldn鈥檛 be a problem, given that it had already received a permit years ago, though it was left to expire. If all goes according to plan, shovels could be hitting the ground as early as spring 2018.
In the area where a collection of aged shops now stand, there will be 58 townhouses, 11 below-market-rate rental apartments, 13 live-work spaces and more than 20 commercial units. The developer has also promised to keep all the heritage buildings in the commercial area.
But Simonovic isn鈥檛 thinking that far ahead, right now. Instead, she鈥檚 hoping the company will allow her to keep the store open until the very end of summer, so she can save up enough money to move. So far, it appears as if she will have to leave in August, which may be too early for her liking.
While the company says the old businesses will have a chance to re-apply and set up shop in the new development, it鈥檚 unclear if any of these owners will be able to afford the new rent, which would almost certainly be substantially higher at the market rate.
But the company鈥檚 project manager, Bill Baker, says Macdonald Development is doing everything it can to make the transition as smooth as possible for the small businesses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenge,鈥� said Baker. 鈥淭he people in the commercial [area] knew that it was coming for years, it鈥檚 just when the reality hits, no matter who you are, it鈥檚 still, 鈥榊ou have to move and change and it鈥檚 hard.鈥� So you try and mitigate that.鈥�
About a year ago, the shops were put on a month-to-month rent agreement and owners were informed the development would be happening, he said.
For the last three or so months, the shops have been allowed to stay open without paying any rent, he said, and the company has done what it can to be receptive to business鈥� needs.
And some of those businesses appear to have responded well to Macdonald鈥檚 efforts, as well as its upcoming project.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 quite exciting,鈥� said Mark Sampson, who owns The Model Shop. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to make it a much more interesting place to be.鈥�
Sampson said he expected to eventually move out when he set up his business about six years ago.
A Britannia Beach resident for the same amount of time, he said he鈥檚 looking forward to the chance of having new eateries, businesses and possibly a pub in the area 鈥� all of which are possibilities because of the proposed new development.
There will be little or no negative effect on his business, which makes architectural models for developers, he said, because he can relocate his operation easily.聽
Sampson doesn鈥檛 rely on retail customers, which means he won鈥檛 be hurt by closing down his space.聽
鈥淚 can only think it鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 a sentiment that鈥檚 echoed by Baker, who says it will inject new life in a stagnant area.
He said new stores haven鈥檛 been allowed in the north end of Britannia Beach because of regulations prohibiting construction on the land, which he said is considered a floodplain.
The only stores allowed to operate were those grandfathered in from an old set of rules that allowed shops to be set up in such a place, he added.
Baker said no one could move in to replace those that moved out, causing the number of businesses to dwindle over the years, leaving just the handful that are present today.
鈥淯ntil a few months ago, the whole area was a sterile area,鈥� he said.
Baker said the development will make changes to the land that would allow businesses and homes to move in.
But there is much work to be done.
Adjustments need to be made to make the area safe from debris and flooding, Baker said. For example, fill would be needed to add about two metres of height to the land in some areas.
Furthermore, measures must be taken to make sure no harm comes from the heavy metals that are still in the area.
Metals that were mined on site back in the day are still present in the soil, according to the Ministry of Forests and Lands. This includes, lead, copper, zinc, silver, gold and cadmium.
Pockets of the area were at one point considered deposits for hazardous waste such as arsenic, Baker said, so Macdonald will be enlisting the help of a company called Golder Associates, which managed the treatment of contaminated water in the area in a separate cleanup initiative.
鈥淥ur commitment is once it鈥檚 identified, it鈥檚 cleaned up,鈥� he said.
But back at Britannia, some people aren鈥檛 contemplating cleaning up so much as clearing out.
Outside Gold Trail Jewellers on a Friday afternoon, a woman with greying hair rests on a chair while talking with a customer named Rhonda Caton, who鈥檚 visited the stores for decades.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a part of my childhood and growing up 鈥� it just makes me sad,鈥� Caton later tells The Chief when asked about the closures. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have much of my childhood to show my children in the whole corridor because so many things I knew as a child, they鈥檙e gone 鈥� they鈥檝e been redeveloped.鈥澛�
鈥淚t鈥檚 heartbreaking, it鈥檚 sad. It鈥檚 all I鈥檝e known since I鈥檝e moved here,鈥� adds Brenda Smith, who鈥檚 spent about 14 years working at Gold Trail Jewellers. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what the future鈥檚 going to hold for us.鈥�
She stands at the doorway to chat for a few more moments before disappearing inside the shop.
Next door in Earthly Crystals and Gifts, Simonovic hovers over the cash register, presiding over collections of trinkets, precious stones and other jewelry.
Just before a pair of longtime customers enters the store, she leans over the counter and remarks, 鈥淚 hope they give us until the end of summer.鈥�
