Capital Iron to reopen in Victoria

Capital Iron in Victoria is shown. April 11, 2018. (CTV Vancouver Island)

An iconic Greater Victoria business is set to reopen less than a year after it closed its doors.

Capital Iron closed in December after operating in B.C.'s capital for 90 years.

The business, which had a longstanding location in downtown Victoria and a newer location in Langford, sold everything from fishing gear and patio furniture to barbecues and kitchen supplies.

It had been family-run since 1934, but shut down both locations on Dec. 17, 2022.

At the time, Capital Iron owner Mike Black said the closure was due to changes in the industry, such as a rise in online shopping, supply chain issues, inflation and staff shortages.

Hope was not entirely lost for the iconic business, however.

Shortly after the business closed, another Victoria entrepreneur purchased the name and intellectual property for Capital Iron.

WestCoast Appliance Gallery owner Fred Aram purchased the rights just before Christmas, and promised to reopen the store with a focus exclusively on outdoor living products.

He said the store would only sell barbecues, patio furniture, hot tubs and other backyard and outdoor leisure goods.

"Every Victorian has a memory with that name," he said in January. "The name is so strong."

"A name like that to disappear would be such a shame," said Aram. "I saw an opportunity."

In a social media post Monday, Capital Iron said it was going to reopen at its landmark location at 1900 Store St. following some renovations in September under new ownership.

"We can’t wait to share our new look and huge selection of indoor and outdoor home goods with you all this fall," reads the post.

The entire area where Capital Iron is located is owned by Vancouver-based developer Reliance Properties.

In 2020, Reliance Properties purchased nearly seven acres of land, stretching from the waterfront to Government Street, between Chatham and Discovery streets.

The developer originally envisioned rezoning the land for a mix of residential and commercial use, including tall residential towers for the 6.7 acre swath of land, though there's been no word on those plans since 2021.

With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Scott Cunningham