Jasper's fire-affected small businesses face rocky road ahead
CTV
After labouring for months to bring one of Jasper's newest business concepts to life, the owners of The Peacock Cork & Fork never dreamed the young restaurant's run would be so short-lived.
After labouring for months to bring one of Jasper's newest business concepts to life, the owners of The Peacock Cork & Fork never dreamed the young restaurant's run would be so short-lived.
"Rest in Peace you elegant beast. June 12 - July 20, 2024," the Peacock's owners wrote on social media on Saturday, just days after wildfire swept through the picturesque Alberta tourist town and destroyed the roof of the building housing their new venture.
"It was open for 40 days," said co-owner Ashley Kliewer in an interview, adding the fine-dining restaurant with its four-course chef's menu and curated wine pairings was something Jasper had never seen before.
"When it's something that you loved, and that you poured so much energy into, it makes it so much more crushing."
The business community of Jasper — a town whose economy depends on tourism, particularly in the crucial summer season — is facing an overwhelming challenge in the months ahead.
Residents have not yet been able to return, so Jasper's small business owners have been scouring photos from firefighters and other officials to try to ascertain the extent of the damage to the community's shops, restaurants, boutiques and hotels.
Federal officials have said about one-third of the buildings in the Jasper townsite were lost in the blaze, and it's already clear that some business owners lost their homes as well as their businesses.
