Charlie's Corner Store on 32nd Avenue first opened in 1959. It's last day of business will be Dec. 31. 

The corner store that's served its community for 65 years is closing doors in what its owner says is the "end of an era" for small mom and pop shops. 

Owner Tom Maxwell bought the store in 2016. He told The Morning Star the business was struggling when he bought it, but he was able to turn it around and saw business double during his ownership, with the store even managing to do well during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, Maxwell pointed to "the ebbs and flows of economies," saying the current economy is the main reason for the store's closure. 

"People are in survival mode, they're just trying to make food and rent, so people aren't spending money like they used to," Maxwell said. 

The store also took a significant hit in revenue due to a road construction project that took place right in front of the store for more than a year. 

"The road construction really slowed us down," Maxwell said. "Eighty per cent of our slowdown was due to the construction last year."

The project in question is for the reconstruction of about 440 metres of road, storm, sewer and water main infrastructure along 32nd Avenue and 38th Street, according to a City of Vernon . The project began in April 2023 and while construction is currently paused, it will start up again and isn't expected to be completed until the end of June 2025. 

"The City of Vernon works to minimize impacts on businesses during construction projects, including maintaining public access," said city communications officer Josh Winquist in an email. "We encourage business owners to contact the city directly if they have concerns during such projects, so we can work together to address them."

Maxwell said part of the decision to close hinged on the fact that at least $100,000 worth of store equipment needed to be replaced soon. 

"That's a 10-year investment that you're never really going to recoup," he said. 

Maxwell said he's not bitter towards any one group of decision-makers, but did say he thinks governments should look at things from a small business perspective more often. 

He cited the increasing carbon tax and a minimum wage that's tied to inflation as policies that have made it harder for independent businesses like his to stay up and running, and added he believes this will be part of what leads to corporations subsuming the business world completely over time.  

"It's an end of an era for small mom and pops. Lets face it, the corporate stores own 96 per cent of the business now, and they'll get the last four per cent eventually," Maxwell said. "Look at the history of small business over the last 10 years. It's not growing, it's diminishing."

Other detrimental factors have been taxation and payroll taxes, according to Maxwell.

He said Charlie's Corner Store's closure has nothing to do with the level of support from the community, as Vernonites have faithfully supported the business for decades.  

"The community support is awesome, and if that's all it was, we'd still be going."

While he's retiring as the owner of the store, Maxwell will keep the building after shutting the store down and will do "something else" with the space in the future.