Photo Courtesy CHAT News

By Jayson Taylor

King of Trade closing after serving Medicine Hat for 25 years

Jun 7, 2023 | 12:05 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Since 2007, Dave and Norma Brown have welcomed customers into their shop. After serving the Medicine Hat community for the past 16 years through their business King of Trade, the step towards retirement has been taken.

King of Trade will be closing its doors for good this summer. The Browns took over the store from Dave’s good friend in 2007 and have loved serving the community through the store. The store has a diverse inventory with items ranging from musical instruments to jewelry to video games.

Dave says their plans for retirement include visiting the rest of Canada and relaxing. He says that their time at King of Trade has been an exciting time for him and Norma.

“It’s actually been quite exciting. When I first started working at King of Trade, I had never stepped foot into a pawn shop or a second-hand store in my life, so I didn’t know what it consisted of. But over the last 25 years, things have changed, technology has changed, and people’s idea of second-hand has changed. They’ve become more accustomed to it, most people are looking for better values to make their dollar go further,” Dave said on Wednesday.

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He says that the store was founded because the owner believed that buying-second hand helps reduce unnecessary waste and helps people get things at a great price.

Their business wouldn’t have been possible without the help of their hard-working employees as well as the support of the Medicine Hat community, he adds.

“Thanks to our staff because without them we would never be here. Some of them have been with me since day one, with a little bit of a break, another has been with me for over ten years and there are lots in the past that have really supported and have been King of Trade family, so thanks to all the staff now and the previous staff and thanks to all our customers and the community of Medicine Hat,” Brown stated.

To celebrate their retirement, King of Trade is promoting a retirement sale in which inventory will be sold at discounted prices so that when the day comes to close doors one last time, less will need to be moved. The last official day of operations will be on August 12.