Editor, The Times:
It is with great sadness and disappointment that Avril’s Garden has permanently closed as of the end of 2013.
I want to thank my many loyal customers for supporting me through the eight years of service to the Clearwater community and surrounding areas. Without your shopping local habits, Avril’s Garden would surely have had to close sooner than it did. I also would like to thank my part time employees; without them I just would not have been able to get the work done. Many thanks to Kathryn McCourt, Mary Surkan, Susan Dubois, Kim Strickland, Tammy Whelen, Judy Hartmann, Florence Amundson and Ena Chiasson.
When I first embarked on owning my own business, I had no idea if it would be successful or not, and it seemed to be doing well for the first few years. During the past couple of years we saw fewer customers than in previous years. It got progressively worse, until I had no choice but to close. Again, I can’t stress enough how important it is to SHOP LOCAL! Someone’s livelihood depends on it, and it surely does make a huge difference to the business, and to the entire community.
Avril Smith
Clearwater, B.C.