Toronto pet store has suddenly shut down without warning

A pet food store that opened up in Toronto not long ago has suddenly permanently closed its doors.

Parkdale Pet Foods was known for its enthusiastic owner Brenda Kahura, who often advertised her shop the old-fashioned way by standing outside and yelling cheerfully. It was opened while lockdowns were still yo-yoing in 2020.

Now, the shop has abruptly closed, and Kahura has confirmed the closure in chatter on a local Facebook group, and with blogTO.

"Just noticed that Parkdale Pet Foods has closed," someone posted in a group for the Roncesvalles and Parkdale neighbourhoods. "Does anyone know why/when this happened? No signs in their windows."

"I'm so sorry to share this news this way: we are now closed. I will be making an official announcement in the coming days on all the channels now that it's all official," Kahura replied to the post.

"It's been a series of unfortunate events that led to our closure. None to do with our amazing community of pet parents in Parkdale. I'm devastated and so sad we had to close. If I could have kept the store going myself, I could have."

There's an outpouring of comments on the post saying how much she will be missed as a business owner in the community.