Yellowknife (Oct 13/06) - After 10 years, Moreno Lodovici is shutting the doors of his collectibles store for good.

WAM Development Group, which owns the Panda II Mall, has evicted Lodovici's Tiger Sports Cards and Collectibles, effective Oct. 15.

Tiger Sports Cards buys, sells and trades sports collectibles, videotapes, books, old licence plates and virtually anything else people collect.

Moreno Lodovici stands at the counter of Tiger Sports Cards and Collectibles. His business has been evicted from the Yk Centre mall following renovations. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo Closing shop Some Yk Centre shops that have closed or are about to close: Chrissy's Closet Tiger Sports Cards and Collectibles Eternal Rock Other retailers in Yk Centre mall that have moved or are moving to new locations within the property: Gourmet Cup has moved from second floor Panda II to lower level Yk Centre Picnic Nook has moved from second floor Panda II to main floor Panda II Northern Souvenirs and Gifts has moved from second floor Panda II to the plaza next to Panda II Yellowknife Book Cellar will move from main and second floor Panda II to the old DND recruiting centre beside TD Bank.

Lodovici opened the store in the lower level of the Yk Centre in 1996. WAM Development Group bought the property in 2004 and began renovations.

The company is now converting the second floor of Panda II mall from retail to office space. Some of the floor's former shops have closed, others have relocated to other parts of the property.

Some of those businesses are moving to the lower level of Yk Centre, and "we didn't have a spot for Moreno," said Kelly Hayden, WAM Development's vice-president of northern operations.

James Croizier, owner of Ogre's Lair, was also told to move his business out of Yk Centre's lower level after his lease expired.

"I was in the same boat as Moreno," he said. "Our businesses attract kids and they don't want to have kids in the mall."

He said he was lucky to have another location to move to. Other small shops such as Chrissy's Closet shut down completely.

"There was no business reason for me to leave. My store sells stuff and brings people into the mall," he said.

He said the outlook for small businesses in the city is "pretty grim."

"Yellowknife is losing more and more businesses downtown," said Croizier. "No one can afford the rents at Centre Square Mall, and now the smaller mall is getting even smaller. They're sacrificing mall space for office space."

Hayden said by concentrating the remaining retailers in Yk Centre's lower level, foot traffic for all the businesses will increase. Niche businesses such as Tiger Sports Cards and Ogre's Lair are a hard sell in a small community, said Hayden, and often don't make enough money to afford mall rents.

Lodovici agrees he didn't open a card shop to make his fortune.

"I'm not making millions," he said. "For me, it's a hobby to meet people."

Lodovici has been unable to find a new location he can afford.

He has donated the books to the hospital and expects to put his remaining inventory into storage.

Lodovici said he was told his business attracts "undesirables," and the alleged slur against his clientele concerns him.

"Everyone comes here, people from all walks of life," he said. "Lawyers come here. Ministers come here. Stephen Kakfwi used to come here with his kids when he was premier."

He said that unlike other retailers in the building, he hands out the keys to the washrooms to whoever needs them.

"If a drunk guy asks me for the key, I give it to him," he said. "When you've gotta go, you've gotta go. They're people."

Some of the renovations at Yk Centre have been aimed at reducing loitering, such as removing public pay phones, and the benches from the skywalk.

"Our concept for dealing with less desirable traffic is we don't make it appealing for them to be here," said Hayden.

"It's a challenge to provide amenities and still have a safe, secure environment."

Croizier said he thinks malls should be run like the businesses they house.

"If you come into my store, you're my customer," he said. "I'm here to serve you. What message does it send when you lock the washrooms and take out the phones?"