Dear Supporters,

Happy Canada Day to all of you.  We hope this message finds you well.  We have an important update regarding Science & Nature Co™, a Canadian-owned business proudly served our community for 36 years.

As we have never had prior communication with the management of our new Central Walk landlord, and with the mall no longer having a GM, we reached out directly to the decision-makers.  Mr. Valen Tam, Director of Asset Management at Central Walk, swiftly responded with this conclusion:

"𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙.  𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒."

While we have been granted a few extra days to move out due to the recent passing of a loved one, the outcome remains unchanged.  I am currently grieving both the loss of a loved one and the company.

We are uncertain about how we will vacate our location at Tsawwassen Mills.  Not only have we lost all our employees due to this situation, but simply removing, packing, transporting, and storing the fixtures and products requires substantial time, planning, manpower, and expense, all of which are in short supply.  Additionally, we still have outstanding payments to suppliers that need to be addressed, which we can't manage without an operational base.

Mr. Tam stated that our revenue not meeting their expectations is the reason for not renewing our lease.  This is deeply disheartening, especially since our sales are just beginning to recover post-pandemic.  Here are the facts:

• We are situated in an area of the mall dominated by service-related tenants, such as a hair salon, a dental office, a sewing and alterations shop, a 24/7 massage chair station, a bakery shop, and other empty units.
  
  
• Despite numerous requests, relocation within the mall has not been granted to us, despite vacancies throughout.
  
  
• Our store attracts traffic that these service-related tenants do not.
  
  
• After all the work we have put in over the last few months, our sales are just beginning to trend upward since the decline of post-pandemic YOLO (You-Only-Live-Once) revenge spending, despite ongoing inflationary pressures.

Interestingly, our concept aligns with Central Walk’s stated vision to transform this section of the mall into a children’s activity area.  Nevertheless, Central Walk appears inclined to leave our current spot empty, despite numerous vacancies in this corridor and throughout the mall.

We are unsure if the new management at Central Walk understands and appreciates our 36-year history as a BC-owned and operated business, along with our extensive community involvement, local sponsorships, and hosted educational programs.  They may not fully recognize our longstanding support for local events or our efforts to provide a unique destination in a market saturated with similar stores.  To them, we might just be seen as another small, unknown retailer.

We would love nothing more than to find a new location where we can continue to offer the unique experience you love.  However, finding a new location presents significant challenges, including costs, logistics, and timing, especially now that we've lost all our employees due to this situation.  The expense of relocating or even just moving is daunting and could potentially force us into bankruptcy.  Our situation is dire.

We urge you to reach out to Central Walk, addressing your concerns to Mr. Valen Tam and Mr. Andy Wang, CEO of Central Walk, whose decisions will determine our future.  Your voices have the power to influence their decision-making.  Furthermore, please continue to sign and share our petition.  Your collective support is crucial in navigating this difficult period.

Thank you sincerely for your unwavering support during this challenging time.

Warm regards,

John Lee
Science & Nature Co™
"𝑊𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐹𝑢𝑛!" since 1988