'Loved by many people': Gift shop at Millennium Library closing after nearly two decades

A customer making a purchase at the Best of Friends Gift Shop.

The Best of Friends Gift Shop, located at the Millennium Library, is closing its doors after nearly two decades in business.

The shop is run by the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting literacy and learning.

Now, the board has decided to say goodbye to the store due to a lack of volunteers and a decrease in customers.

“Sadly, we are not able to recruit enough volunteers to be open the days that we would need to be open, and as well we’ve noticed a decrease in customers within the downtown area," said Kathy Blight, a volunteer at the Best of Friends Gift Shop, on Thursday, “As many of you know, the businesses in the city and the downtown area especially in the buildings, there aren’t the people that used to be there.”

Blight said that she’s sad to see the gift shop closing down, as it’s always had “unique” items for sale.

“Many people come to the shop to buy things that they can’t get anywhere else. We are loved by many people,” she said.

The proceeds from the gift shop go back to the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library, which has provided more than $345,000 to fund programs and special projects at the city’s libraries.

The gift shop is expected to close by the end of December. However, the plan is to have all the merchandise gone in the first part of December.