Almost a year ago, Shawn Nawaz watched in devastation as the last appliance was hauled out of the large, empty room of his Sears store on Inglewood Drive.
Today, he stands in that same room. Leaning against the counter next to a row of mattresses and refrigerators, a wide smile lights up his face. Now the owner of St. Albert Home Furniture & Appliances, Nawaz is thrilled to be back in St. Albert.
“When I walked in here, I was so excited,” he said. “I’m happy to be back in the community.”
Last year, Sears Canada announced its plans to close its stores, including Nawaz’s. He found out in June 2017, when the company called him to deliver the news.
As the liquidation sale of his store wrapped up in August, he was left with a two-year lease on the property. Nawaz said the property manager was sympathetic and offered to end it early.
“It was tough, the bills kept coming in,” he said. “I said, ‘I can’t pay you, I have no money. Sears is gone.’”
Following the store closure, Nawaz, who owned the St. Albert Sears for more than a decade, had to find another source of income. Unable to turn his back on his love of selling appliances, he became a sales clerk for another appliance company.
It was a difficult transition, to say the least.
“As a business owner, you want to do your own stuff,” he said. “There are pros and cons to both, but working for somebody else you don’t have that freedom.”
When the Gazette interviewed Nawaz about the closure in June 2017, he expressed an interest in opening his own appliance store. Sitting in his office a year later, he said he needed the last 11 months to save up money to open his own company.
In February, he approached the property manager once again, who he said gladly offered to re-sign a lease.
Part of starting up again means going through the hiring process once again. At the Sears location Nawaz had three employees, two of whom are coming back.
“The group is back, so it feels good,” he said with a laugh.
Jocelyn Plawucki, who was one of the workers, said she is looking forward to starting work again. She worked at Nawaz’s store for almost a decade before being let go.
“I felt good for him, because it’s something he wanted to do,” she said. “He’s given a lot to the community and he believes in St. Albert. I hope he does well and hopefully I can be a part of it.”
She said it was disappointing when she found out that Sears was closing. Now that St. Albert Home Furniture & Appliances slowly fills with inventory, she said she expects to return back to work next week.
All of the appliances sold at the defunct Sears store had warranties, which are now virtually non-redeemable, Nawaz said. In order to bring back some of his former customers, he said he will give discounts on new warranties.
“It depends on each case, so if they buy a fridge, I’ll give them a warranty half price,” he said.
Additionally, St. Albert Home Furniture & Appliances now serves as a FedEx and U-Haul location. People can now pick up their parcels, or pick up and drop off rented U-Haul vehicles.
St. Albert Home Furniture & Appliances, located at 12 Inglewood Dr., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit: https://stalberthome.ca.
