On the Hudson’s Bay Company

Today, I read in the news that the Hudson’s Bay Company has gone bankrupt. As of today, all of its stores have officially closed.

For my non-Canadian friends, The Bay was Canada’s version of Macy’s, a major department store that sold everything from clothes to home appliances. But it was more than just a store. It was a Canadian icon in the way Tim Hortons is iconic.

Its closure marks the end of the oldest company in North America. Founded 355 years ago during the fur trade era, The Bay was deeply tied to Canadian history.

Part of me felt a quiet sadness reading the news, though it didn’t come as a surprise.

Every time my family went to the mall, we parked at The Bay. At Bramalea City Centre in Brampton, Square One in Mississauga, and Woodbine Centre in Rexdale, we always parked at The Bay.

We bought so many things there over the years. It was my mom’s go-to spot on her lunch breaks. My parents bought me my first G-Shock for my birthday there. Even as I grew up, I instinctively parked at the Bay when I visited a mall.

This past Christmas, we had dinner at Sherway Gardens, one of Toronto’s nicer malls, and we walked through The Bay. The atmosphere felt somber. The shelves looked sparse, and hardly anyone inside. It felt like visiting an old friend in deteriorating health. My parents commented on how empty it was. I explained that my generation doesn’t shop at department stores anymore. They’re a dying breed.

I knew The Bay’s death was inevitable, but seeing its obituary in the headlines still hits different.

The next time I visit the malls of my childhood, I’ll see the empty shell of what was The Bay, and I’ll feel that unmistakable tug of nostalgia for a time that’s gone by.