Letter: Let's set the record straight on our departure from St. George's

Dear Sir,

Please allow me a small portion of your paper to set the record straight concerning comments made about Makin Waves in the ‘Special Report / East VS West fortunes’, appearing in the Bermuda Sun on Wednesday.

Within that article, the following statement was made about Makin Waves, and I  quote:

“New businesses such as Makin Waves packed up and moved their operations to Dockyard without a second thought”. 

I can understand that some may feel this to be the case, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

It was a very difficult decision to close our St. George branch, and we thought long and hard before doing it. 

We understand the impact on communities when businesses close in large numbers, and we were hopeful we could somehow operate without the ships. 

Knowing that 2010 would have even less cruise ship visits, and already losing money with the one scheduled ship, we had no choice but to close our doors. 

The final decision to close was made in late August, 2009, a full year after discussions began.

We did not abandon St George for the greener pastures of Dockyard as the paragraph suggests.  In fact, we have had a retail presence in Dockyard for 15 years.  When the Government adjusted the cruise ship policy it became clear to us that our small retail store in Dockyard would be unable to handle the large amount of potential customers, and we immediately began talks with WEDCO to secure a larger space in the fall of 2007, eventually opening the new store in the spring of 2009. 

The closing of our St. George branch, and the opening of our larger Dockyard branch were two separate business decisions, made at different times, although linked by the same cruise ship policy.

We enjoyed our four years in St. George, and were truly sad to turn out the lights for the last time. 

We are not in a position to control the policies of our Government, and must be willing to adapt and change as conditions warrant, for the benefit of our company, our families, and our employees. 

I am confident that closing our St. George branch was the right decision, but that does not make it any easier.

I hope the explanation above more clearly demonstrates that the decision to close our branch in St George was made after careful consideration, and not “without a second thought”.

Doug Patterson

Owner, Makin Waves