Brenda Wagner remembers twirling around in front of massive mirrors in the Vancouver Hudson's Bay store in the mid-1960s, when she was buying her grad gown.
The farmer shared the memory while standing outside the Langley Bay store at Willowbrook Shopping Centre, which back then was a farmer's field.
"The Hudson's Bay in Vancouver had a very fancy dress department. And I got my grad dress there, where you get to stand in front of [mirrors] on the podium," she recalled. "It was a big deal鈥� That would probably be my first big recollection."
While many people have great memories of shopping at The Bay in decades past, memories aren't enough to sustain the business.
"They've been around since the beginning of time," Wagner commented. "And it's just another sign of the times. So, it's expensive. People can't afford it, I'm thinking."
Wagner said the closure leaves few options for shoppers.
"It's sad for everybody. It's unfortunate young people don't want to go to a brick-and-mortar store," said Tammy Tonn, another shopper who exited the store with no purchase.
Tonn remembers going to The Bay in Winnipeg, where she was born. The family moved to B.C. when she was six, and she's been shopping there for decades but wasn't finding as much in recent years.
"We always went to The Bay, Eaton's, Woodward's," Tonn commented. "All the great ones are gone, so we'll have to make do."
Tonn said the stores have been low on stock for a long time so there was no expectation of finding any bargains on her visit there on a Tuesday morning, April 1.
"Ten minutes in the store. Just a goodbye," Tonn said.
Neither Tonn nor Wagner are fans of shopping online, but Canada is quickly emptying of its department stores.
They visited The Bay in the beginning if its liquidation, where most goods were 15 per cent off. Some patio items were 25 per cent off. Signs touted deals of 15 to 40 per cent off. Sales will take place at HBC and Saks stores until June 15 with the locations vacated by the end of that month.
The Langley location along with the rest of The Bay sites, Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH stores in Canada are closing. Many specialty items will not be reduced in price. Gift cards and store credits will be honoured until April 6, and the deadline for returns has passed.
The Hudson's Bay department store chain, originally established in 1670 by royal charter, reported experiencing significant challenges, including reduced consumer spending, trade tensions between Canada and the U.S, and a drop in foot traffic following the pandemic.
The company received court permission on March 24 to begin liquidating its assets, and on March 28, an Ontario court judge rejected a plan to keep six stores open longer to try and restructure. HBC has more than $1 billion debt.
It's been several years since the company was Canadian owned. NRDC, a private American equity firm, acquired the retailer in 2008.
Langley's very creation is tied to the company. Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, was concerned Fort Vancouver 鈥� which was opposite of present-day Portland, Ore., 鈥� might be lost to the Americans if the border did not follow the Columbia River.
Concerned the 49th Parallel north could become the demarcation line, Simpson ordered the Hudson's Bay Company to construct the original Fort Langley in 1827. Fort Langley was intentionally constructed on the south bank of the Fraser River. If Fort Vancouver was lost to the Americans when the international border was finalized, then Fort Langley would give Britain claim to both sides of the Fraser River.
By 1830, Fort Langley had become a major export port for salted salmon in barrels, as well as cranberries, and cedar lumber and shingles to the Hawaiian Islands, where HBC also operated.
On Nov. 19, 1858, Douglas, chief factor of HBC, made the proclamation in Fort Langley鈥檚 Big House that created the Crown colony of British Columbia. Douglas, born in Guyana to a black mother and a Scottish father, was the first governor of B.C. In 1871, the colony became a province. Langley Township was incorporated in 1873.
