Annals of Charlottetown Retail

One of Charlottetown’s oldest businesses is set to close shortly. Taylor’s Jewellers, in Confederation Court Mall, has this sign up in its windows:

The business was founded in 1879, 146 years ago:

In 1879, jeweller, J.F. MacKay would sell his stock to G.H. Taylor. Taylor, who had recently arrived in Prince Edward Island from England, took over the building at 119-121 Grafton Street and divided it into two sections. Taylor operated a jewellery store from the eastern section and W.R. Boreham ran a shoe store from the western section. Taylor’s Jewellers would remain in the building for over 100 years. The business would move further into the Confederation Court Mall in the 1990s and continues to sell jewelry to this day.

Here’s an ad from the March 1, 1898 Guardian for the business:

Posted earlier today on their Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart that we announce our store will be closing its doors for the final time on May 15th. 

After being part of this community since 1879, it’s hard to say goodbye.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our loyal customers who have supported us through the years. Your patronage has meant the world to us, and we’re truly grateful for the memories we’ve shared.

As we prepare for this next chapter, we’ll be offering special discounts and deals, so please stop by before we close. We hope to see you one last time.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

Meanwhile, just a hundred feet away, Blank Canvas, our local art supplies shop, is set to relocate from the corner of Prince and Water into the space in the mall last occupied by a party supply store, in the hallway that leads to Great George Street:

We’re regular customers at the shop; it’s so lovely to have a well-stocked shop like hers in the neighbourhood. It’s heartening that she’s found a secure new space, and it’s great for us that it’s still in the neighbourhood (40 m and one minutes walk farther from the current location, but we’re not complaining).