Calgary small business blames ongoing construction for forcing it to shut its doors
The owners of Doodle Dogs, located at 2040 34th Avenue Southwest, say opening a pet store in the community was always a dream of theirs.
But with the Marda Loop Main Streets project nearly a year past the originally promised completion date, they now say they can't afford the financial troubles the construction has caused any longer.
'It's cheaper for us to just pay rent and shutter than to remain operational,' said owner Meghan Huchkowski.
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Meghan Huchkowski, who owns Doodle Dogs with her brother, places a note in the window of the Marda Loop store, telling customers the business is closing its doors for good. Global News
When she and her brother originally opened the store in December of 2023, they were told the massive makeover of the streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure would be completed by the summer of 2024.
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But more than a year later, the problems created by the construction persist.
'At one point — for three full days — we had a construction flagger who was forbidding customers from accessing the front entrance to our store and that's when I went from a little impatient to mama-bear mode,' said Huchkowski.
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'Because we are a store that often requires a vehicle to pick up 25-pound (11 kg) bags of dog food, for example, folks need parking and to bring a vehicle,' added Huchkowski.
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Meghan Huchkowski, said, when she opened Doodle Dogs, she was told the Marda Loop Main Street project would be completed by the summer of 2024 – but more than a year later construction is still going on. Global News
Doodle Dogs is just the latest Marda Loop business to complain about the impact of the ongoing construction.
Two local eateries, Silver Sage Beef and the Diner Deluxe are suing the city for $75 million over the effects the construction has had on businesses along 33 and 34 Avenue southwest and hoping to have it certified as a class action lawsuit.
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'I think we are going to see a lot of businesses in the area jumping on to the class action who normally would not have thought about doing that,' said Huchkowski.
'Recently I spoke to a business (owner) who wasn't for it, but said as he crunches the numbers and how much he's lost, it might be worth considering.'
As Huchkowski worked at dismantling the store, local pet owner Logan McEachern stopped in to pick up some food for his dog Zoey — and to bid the owners of Doodle Dogs a fond farewell.
'Its a real shame,' said McEachern. 'I'm hoping that construction in the long term will benefit the community as a whole, but it's a shame to see businesses leaving because of it, in the short term.'
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Marda Loop dog owner Logan McEachern said he's hopeful all the construction will improve the community in the long run, but it is difficult to watch businesses being forced to close in the short run. Global News
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is scheduled to meet with the owners of Doodle Dogs late Wednesday afternoon, however Huchkowski tells Global News that she is doubtful the mayor will be able to change her mind about closing the Marda Loop store.
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Hutchinson and her brother still have three other Doodle Dogs locations around Calgary and an online store, but she says, 'I'm sorry we couldn't make it work here.'
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