Vancouver eyes San Francisco program to protect cherished community businesses
VANCOUVER — It wasn’t until he announced plans to shut down that Jerry Wolfman learned just how much the outdoor store his father started 70 years ago means to Vancouver.
“It’s like we’re having a wake,” Wolfman said. “Tears in people’s eyes, a hug, people recounting stories of first coming in with their grandparents, their parents, themselves and now bringing their children.”
Wolfman puts much of the blame for the pending closure of Three Vets on soaring property taxes, echoing concerns from other businesses that have gone under in the face of surging real estate prices.
What’s been happening has caught the city’s attention as it has begun looking for ways to preserve heritage businesses whose value to the community goes beyond the stock on the shelves.