Nova Scotian Crystal to close its doors after 16 years

Nova Scotian Crystal - the only factory of its kind in North America - is shutting its doors after 16 years.

They have presented gifts to the Queen, high-profile politicians and thousands of Canadians, but today the artists at Nova Scotian Crystal learned they will soon be out of work.

The factory announced Friday that after 16 years as a landmark on the Halifax Waterfront, it has no choice but to close its doors for good.

“I was out for a drive and my wife and I heard it, and said ‘let's go down, let's go down and have a look. It might be our last look right,” says customer Gary Dunn.

“There's not a lot of crystal makers in the world anymore,” says showroom manager Sue Bruzell. “We are, we were, the only ones left in North America.”

Bruzell says the company tried to expand in 2008, but it didn’t quite work, and now Nova Scotian Crystal is simply out of time.

“We did quite a few different things through the year to make sure our cash flow would work and it just got to the point where he had to make the decision to close the doors,” she says.

The business began when a handful of crystal makers flocked to Nova Scotia from Ireland in 1996 and now some of those original artists are among the 43 people out of work.

“Where are these people going to go?” asks Dunn. “They have a trade that they can't go anywhere else, so you know, what'll they do? It's just a terrible thing, just terrible.”

The company will continue to make crystal for about another week. Customers who have already placed an order still will receive it, but unless something changes, the factory will close its doors within 30 days.

“You never know,” says Bruzell. “Hopefully somebody might take a look at it and want to continue the next chapter of kind of who we are and pick up the torch and go forward.”

As the news spreads, one thing is crystal clear - Nova Scotians are mourning the loss of the rare and beloved business.

“I think there's something that's unique about this, that's different from any crystal in the world,” says Patricia MacIntosh.

“The patterns are, they really speak to Nova Scotia and there's sort of a Canadian heritage in some of these and there's a really nice crisp, feeling about it.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell