After ten years on Johnson Street, Baggins and its 20,000 pairs of shoes will close their retail shop in October.
“The side effects of COVID-19 on both the downtown core and consumer buying is starting to show now,” said Tara Savrtka, co-owner of Baggins.
Glen Lynch founded Baggins as a headshop after he wanted to find a black light for a poster he owned in 1969. The shop would stock some Converse in the 1990s and become one of the world’s leading brands, according to Savrtka.
“We had Vans in the early 2000s and Doc Martins in 2017. We specialize in those three brands better than anybody in the world.”
Even though the store location is closing, Baggins will still have a warehouse near Government Street.
“We (Baggins) are ready for some new adventures. So we’re going to transition to an online-only model and continue our print-on-demand business,” Savrtka said.
The shop will start offering discounts on Monday, June 3 and aims to clear 25 to 40 per cent of its stock between now and October.
Savrtka and Baggins have seen many changes during their time on Johnson Street and in the City of Victoria.
“To be fair, we’ve been around for 55 years. So we’ve seen lots of businesses go and go. But we’re now starting to see the trend of the longer term guys retiring or closing,” said Savrtka.
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