A store in Kitchener is getting ready to throw one last hurrah before closing up shop to make room for a walk-in clinic. When the owners of Victoria Party Store first opened their doors, they were continuing on a tradition. “The guy who used to own it, he shut down his store,” Bina Patel, Victoria Party Store co-owner, said. “I wanted to buy it from him, but he did not want to sell it to anyone. So, I got it from the landlord as a container and I reopened within a month. I’ve [been here] for almost 18-and-a-half years now.” For customers, the shop dates back long before Bina and her husband Ashok Patel took over. “It was very hard for [customers] to accept because this store, including the previous owner and myself, is almost 47 or 48-years-old,” Bina said. For some, it brings back childhood memories. “My cousins, they live over on Edna [Street] and we always had sleepover there. Ever since then, this place has been open and it’s just been a location stamp,” customer Cheryl Hossfeld said. Despite the big ‘Store Closing’ signs, the shop was not facing any financial hardship. The Patels decided to retire and sell the store to make way for a future medical facility. “All of a sudden, we got a very good offer from a walk-in clinic,” Bina explained. “We thought we should take an opportunity. Not only that, we know how important it is for the community to have family doctors. In this situation, we thought we should give something back to our community. Many people don’t have doctors, so this is the reason we decided to just close the store.” The new owners said they hope to have the clinic up and running by early 2026. Despite the community need, the Patels said it still wasn’t an easy decision to make. “If business is not doing good and you sell a business or close a business, it’s something else. But this business has no issues,” Bina said, tears welling up in her eyes. “It is just the right time to move on and do something good for our communities.” Bina and Ashok said they are looking forward to spending more time together and thank the community for the continued support throughout the years. “I want to say thank you to all the public. We are very honoured to be a part of this community...who gave us support for the past 20 years and we are very, very thankful,” Bina said. The store will officially close to customers on Oct. 18. Any remaining inventory may be sold online or donated.
