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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
As people spent their last days in June packing for long-weekend camping and fishing trips, one Yellowknife business was packing for another sort of move.

Gord Olson, owner of Harley's Trails End Boutique, moved all the stock out of Centre Square Mall location to the larger Polar Tech store in Kam Lake on June 29. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL pho

Harley's Trails End Boutique was the most recent business to leave the lower level of Centre Square Mall.

Owner Gord Olson said the business tried to make it work for a year and a half but it just wasn't worth paying rent when he already owned the Polar Tech location in Kam Lake where he sells motorcycles, quads, and other related gear.

The Centre Square Mall location was emptied by the afternoon of June 29 and moved to Polar Tech.

There were a lot of reasons to close to the store, said Olson.

"Retail, in general, since 2009 has shrank," he said.

"Because of the recession, a lot of people started shopping online for the best deal and it's more convenient from home."

One of the major problems facing Centre Square Mall, said Olson, is the lack of parking.

"Even myself, I'd have to circle the mall three or four times to find a spot and if I didn't have change on me, I'd have to risk a ticket from bylaw. It's the same thing for customers," said Olson.

"You have to spend money to spend money ... It's like an extra tax, it doesn't make sense."

Stocked with shoes, accessories and T-shirts, Olson wanted to provide people working and living downtown an opportunity to shop for branded Harley Davidson gear without having to hop in their car and drive out to the Kam Lake industrial area.

"We were trying to see if we could sustain 12 months a year shopping in just shirts," said Olson.

"We thought we were missing out on a market and we were trying to bring diversity to downtown shopping destinations."

Parking and the difficulties keeping a specialty retail store afloat weren't the only issues facing the boutique.

Shoplifting, fighting and loitering were constant issues, said Olson.

"The elements in the mall scared some of the younger staff," he said.

"There would be fights right out front at three in the afternoon, or people that would run right into the store, grab something and run off."

Olson said it could be really intimidating.

He doesn't blame Huntingdon Capital Corporation, the property managers for the lower level of Centre Square Mall.

The company is currently offering leases on 10 empty spaces in the lower mall. The upper level is under different management. Olson believes they're doing what they can.

"The mall spent so much money cleaning up, both inside and out," said Olson.

"But customers don't like being asked for change on their way in and out, they may as well shop at the other end of town where you can actually find parking and it's free. I love my parking (at the Kam Lake location), there's a lot of it and you don't have to worry about bylaw."

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