Slow economy and warmer winters reduce number of London fur stores to one – London Free Press

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Slow sales and climate change have taken the lustre off one of London’s last fur retailers and soon will leave only one fur store in the city. Donald McBrearty, owner of Meyer’s The Coat Store, has decided to stop stocking fur coats and is selling off his inventory with a liquidation sale. McBrearty said fur…
Slow sales and climate change have taken the lustre off one of London’s last fur retailers and soon will leave only one fur store in the city.
Donald McBrearty, owner of Meyer’s The Coat Store, has decided to stop stocking fur coats and is selling off his inventory with a liquidation sale.
McBrearty said fur coat sales have declined because of changing fashion trends, a slow economy and warmer winters.
“Last year we didn’t have a winter, which affected us greatly. It’s an issue I’ve thought about for four or five years and finally I’ve made a decision,” he said.
The store has been targeted by animal rights activists in the past but McBrearty said that wasn’t a factor in his decision.
McBrearty emphasized his store at 234 Dundas St. will remain open, selling other kinds of coats, and he’ll continue to service and store fur coats.
Meyer’s was founded in 1946 and McBrearty has owned the store for the last 25 years. When he started there were seven fur retailers in London.
Martin VanDerMark, owner of The Fur Boutique in Wortley Village, is confident he’ll survive as London’s last retailer focused on fur fashions.
“So far I’m happy — nothing to complain about — yet,” he said.
VanDerMark admitted it’s tough to compete with cheap fur coats made in China but he has found a loyal market offering full service and genuine Canadian furs.
During last year’s winter-that-wasn’t, VanDerMark said, almost no one visited his store to claim their coats from summer storage.
“The weather is our biggest competitor. We need snow and cold weather,” he said.
Alan Herscovici, director of the Montreal-based Fur Council of Canada, said the industry is still strong and growing.
He said the auction price of farmed mink has shot up to a record $100 a pelt, partly driven by strong exports markets in Asia.
But Herscovici admitted small “mom and pop” fur stores are becoming an endangered species as the market shifts to larger chain retailers selling designs that use fur for trim and accessories.
“Your grandmother’s fur coat is not the look anymore. Furs are being used in a lot of innovative ways,” Herscovici said.
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