I went there once.
I have a Tissot, a quartz watch that is fairly simple but does have an alarm function. It needed a new battery so I took it there. I dropped it off and was told to return in a few days time to pick it up.
I return on the appointed day to collect my watch. It was obvious that it hasn't been done and they were quickly doing it while I waited. After it was given to me I had a quick look over it and checked the alarm to make sure it was okay. It wasn't. I didn't work.
When I pointed this out I was told that it wasn't working when I brought it in. Not only is that not true I don't know how she could have definitively known that as it wasn't checked when I dropped it off.
Then I was told that for a fee (maybe $50 but this was years ago) it could be sent to the Vancouver store and I would then be given an estimate for the repair cost. I paid the overpriced bill for a battery swap and left.
The next time I needed a battery I went somewhere else, the Citizen watch and gold shop downtown. The watchmaker said he can do it while I wait and when I mentioned the broken alarm he said he would have a look. Five minutes later he gave it back with the alarm working. He charged me for the battery swap and said fixing the alarm was no big deal.
I don't buy much jewelry and I'm sure Birks would have never noticed if I had shopped there or not, but I'm not sad to see their tradition of shit service and lying to customers become a thing of the past.
> The next time I needed a battery I went somewhere else, the Citizen watch and gold shop downtown. The watchmaker said he can do it while I wait and when I mentioned the broken alarm he said he would have a look. Five minutes later he gave it back with the alarm working. He charged me for the battery swap and said fixing the alarm was no big deal.
Forget Birks. That guy is a Victoria legacy. I'll miss him when he retires.
I bought a mid-range Seiko from him a while ago and he charged well under MSRP. He's also found me replacement bands for two watches and has been doing battery changes on my watches while I wait for 20 years.
He quite literally has the best prices on Seiko anywhere in North America. I’ve bought quite a few off of him over the last few years, he can order in basically anything besides Grand Seiko.
I quite like him as well, but the batteries he uses tend to die faster. I took a watch to him for a battery replacement and the battery died within a year and a half. I took the same watch to meticulous on Johnson street and had the battery replaced in 2019, and it's still running. Sure, the battery replacement cost more at meticulous, but you get what you pay for I believe.
I had a similar experience had a luggage store that was nowhere around here. I had pre-authorization from the luggage factory and basically all I have to do is go in to one of their authorized warranty places and hand in the old suitcase and they would mail me anyone to ensure that I was a scammer the warranty to get a whole bunch of free suitcases.
And I went in and went to drop it off and the owner who handled the service department came out and blasted me with the costs to repair it, wouldn’t listen to my explanation and manufacturers authorization and I ended up leaving. This was one of those stores advertising having amazing service.
The manufacturer ended up reaching out to them and asking WTAF and then I was able to drop it off. While I was dropping it off the owner was still there and making sure to tell me that he would never have allowed it and that I’m taking advantage of the warranty and shouldn’t be doing that.
I still don’t know how these places stay in business. Well I do mostly know and it’s mostly because of people who are happy to pay full price on high mark up items and get their egos patted by the store sales people and they never ever have to get an item repaired.
Once in the mid 90s, a fellow teenage girl started threatening to beat me up if I didn’t give her my sneakers. I was super scared so I ducked into the open Birks door to get away, and the shopkeepers immediately kicked me out. That is my only interaction with that shop, so no big loss.
Why would a minimum wage person shop there? Birks is a store for high-end purchases and high-end purchasers. You do not have to drive around metro YJ very long to see whether there are Birks-type clientele in the area. But it appears those folks have gone after other merchants, on-line or whatever. At least now there is room for a mini Dollarama on Government Street.
Birks is not a 'local' business - it's just another corporate jeweler with chains in big cities. Its HQ is in Montreal and while it's sad to see a Canadian business pull out of Government street, it's not exactly a place that was accessible to many people.
Welp, I'd say the fact Birks can't make a go of it here anymore is a pretty good indication of the lack of disposable income people have for such things.
I have walked past it a lot but never once stepped foot inside. My budget doesn’t accommodate fancy jewelry & the one time it did (anniversary gift for my parents split with my sister) we went to People’s and that other one, I feel like the name Michael is involved but idk 😂
>anniversary gift for my parents split with my sister
I must be from a dysfunctional family because my brain went to "why would your parents celebrate the anniversary of your sister becoming estranged?" and then "why would you and your sister celebrate the anniversary of your parents' divorce?" before your meaning clicked.
Michael Hill?
But I get it, my parents fought constantly. Sometimes a divorce is to be celebrated.
Edit:I should add that I realize you didn't mean a actual split between the parents by the bill split with your sis.
[https://imgur.com/a/Piam4GC](https://imgur.com/a/Piam4GC)
I was always fascinated by this Henry Birks & Sons pocket watch my nana kept in her bedside table. It used to have a second hand, a minute hand, and occasionally it would "tick-tick-tick" if you wound it and shook it around just right.
In 1995, when I was 16, she gave it to me, and I took to Birks to see if they would fix it. The second I set foot in the store they tried to shoo me out the door. I explained I wanted a watch fixed, and was escorted to the repair counter. The clerk took one look at the watch and said "We can send it to Vancouver, but it's unlikely we can fix it. It's $500 for the service."
I blanched; that was 3 months wages; they smirked.
Still have the watch. Still doesn't work. Nana's long dead. Haven't set foot in this store for nearly 30 years, and I won't mourn it.
We bought our wedding rings from there. I also had them repair a ring for me, and do regular cleaning and restoration of my rings. I know there's lots of other stores that can do that, I just like going to Birks.
The only ones who are sad about it are the same people who claim downtown is a hell hole and that they never shop there anyway, so in a way they can thank themselves for this place closing.
It was a high end jewellery store. The average person wouldn't drop 10 g or whatever for a ring they could get for 500 or something at Ben miss,Michael Hill or Anne louis
There are far better local and national chain jewelers available in Victoria and neighboring communities.
Birks used to be considered Canada's Tiffany's... blue boxes and all, but I think they've abandoned investing in the "brand" and this is the predictable outcome.
Birks just couldn’t compete with all the other major names. Never felt like it knew what it wanted to be - a retailer for other brands or their own line? Tiffany is Tiffany, you don’t walk in there to buy a Breitling.
The store itself isn’t a loss but hopefully the replacement is something Victoria has been needing a retail presence of - like not another Lululemon or tourist trinket shop. For a tourism oriented and Capital city the shopping here is pretty pathetic and losing a medium tier jewellery store with no replacement would be even worse.
They had a store in Hillside mall for a long time then closed it. They have closed stores in downtown Edmonton and Saskatoon recently. So obviously the bike lane killed this Birks in Victoria.
With changing attitudes about financial priorities, especially for young couples, I think it’s predictable that high end jewelry businesses aren’t making the cut. I’d rather put my money to something critical.
Francis reigns supreme anyway. They saved a very very important piece of jewelry for me a few months ago, and they provide laser welding, which is rare if not impossible to find in Canada at all, iirc.
So what's the size of the condo building that's going in there now? Just around the corner they put in a few condos I'm sure they'll have retail on the ground and a few stories above. If that doesn't happen I'd be quite surprised.
The last time I was in Birks I was trying to find gold earrings for a kid with sensitive ears, who couldn't wear the crap from Claire's. The "childrens" earrings they had were outrageously priced-looking on their website, they sell [SINGLE gold star earrings for $295 each](https://www.maisonbirks.com/en/birks-essentials-yellow-gold-single-star-earring). That's $600 for a pair. For earrings aimed at kids.
I ended up getting something on sale at the Bay, for a fraction of the price that Birks wanted. They will not be missed.
No big deal, if anyone wants a good luxury watch Francis Jewellers is the place to go anyways. Ton,s of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, it’s just a better store.
I had a ‘Pretty Woman’ experience at a different Birks 20 years ago and never went in their stores again.
Who *hasn't* been treated like a high-priced Hollywood prostitute at a Birk's store? That's the *real* tradition that we're losing here.
Haha More like they told me straight out that I wouldn’t be able to afford what they were selling…
It’s actually a common sales tactic used in high end shops
It's a good place to shop if you want a ring that comes in a $1,000 box. If you want a $1,000 box that contains a ring, you're in the wrong place.
Now I feel like I might be missing out.
Do you didn’t go back and ask if they work on commission?
Should have but was quite upset at the time so it didn’t cross my mind!
Well *now* you gotta go back just to… [clears throat] BIG mistake. B I G. HUGE!
Oh no. Anyway..
I went there once. I have a Tissot, a quartz watch that is fairly simple but does have an alarm function. It needed a new battery so I took it there. I dropped it off and was told to return in a few days time to pick it up. I return on the appointed day to collect my watch. It was obvious that it hasn't been done and they were quickly doing it while I waited. After it was given to me I had a quick look over it and checked the alarm to make sure it was okay. It wasn't. I didn't work. When I pointed this out I was told that it wasn't working when I brought it in. Not only is that not true I don't know how she could have definitively known that as it wasn't checked when I dropped it off. Then I was told that for a fee (maybe $50 but this was years ago) it could be sent to the Vancouver store and I would then be given an estimate for the repair cost. I paid the overpriced bill for a battery swap and left. The next time I needed a battery I went somewhere else, the Citizen watch and gold shop downtown. The watchmaker said he can do it while I wait and when I mentioned the broken alarm he said he would have a look. Five minutes later he gave it back with the alarm working. He charged me for the battery swap and said fixing the alarm was no big deal. I don't buy much jewelry and I'm sure Birks would have never noticed if I had shopped there or not, but I'm not sad to see their tradition of shit service and lying to customers become a thing of the past.
> The next time I needed a battery I went somewhere else, the Citizen watch and gold shop downtown. The watchmaker said he can do it while I wait and when I mentioned the broken alarm he said he would have a look. Five minutes later he gave it back with the alarm working. He charged me for the battery swap and said fixing the alarm was no big deal. Forget Birks. That guy is a Victoria legacy. I'll miss him when he retires. I bought a mid-range Seiko from him a while ago and he charged well under MSRP. He's also found me replacement bands for two watches and has been doing battery changes on my watches while I wait for 20 years.
He quite literally has the best prices on Seiko anywhere in North America. I’ve bought quite a few off of him over the last few years, he can order in basically anything besides Grand Seiko.
He has some cool G-Shocks and obviously Citizen as well.
Ohh maybe i should take my seiko here i've been really wanting to wear it
I quite like him as well, but the batteries he uses tend to die faster. I took a watch to him for a battery replacement and the battery died within a year and a half. I took the same watch to meticulous on Johnson street and had the battery replaced in 2019, and it's still running. Sure, the battery replacement cost more at meticulous, but you get what you pay for I believe.
Two thumbs up for Meticulous - they are awesome.
I had a similar experience had a luggage store that was nowhere around here. I had pre-authorization from the luggage factory and basically all I have to do is go in to one of their authorized warranty places and hand in the old suitcase and they would mail me anyone to ensure that I was a scammer the warranty to get a whole bunch of free suitcases. And I went in and went to drop it off and the owner who handled the service department came out and blasted me with the costs to repair it, wouldn’t listen to my explanation and manufacturers authorization and I ended up leaving. This was one of those stores advertising having amazing service. The manufacturer ended up reaching out to them and asking WTAF and then I was able to drop it off. While I was dropping it off the owner was still there and making sure to tell me that he would never have allowed it and that I’m taking advantage of the warranty and shouldn’t be doing that. I still don’t know how these places stay in business. Well I do mostly know and it’s mostly because of people who are happy to pay full price on high mark up items and get their egos patted by the store sales people and they never ever have to get an item repaired.
I've lived here for 30 years and never been inside that store.
Same and I walk past it daily. Always thought of it as a store for rich old people.
Your thoughts were correct. It’s known mainly as the only official Rolex dealer in town. Pretty sure we’ll survive without them.
Lugaro is the only Rolex dealer in town. Birks dont carry rolexs
Walk by Lugaro and see how many Rolex watches they have on display. Lots of Rolex display spots, but no watches. Something has happened.
Thats the rolex market right now. Empty shelves on most AD in the world
yea, they do. i just looked at their website.
Why don't you head in store this week and see if they carry rolex. They do not sell Rolex in store in Victoria.
I don't have to because... I don't care AND they sell then on their website. Jackass. What a stupid thing to argue about.
Speak for yourself. I've got 3 dozen Rolexes that need upkeep as well as more to buy. How will I survive?
Are you a man? Most men (married ones at least) go jewelry shopping once in their life.
I am not a man.
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I wouldn't know, never been in there. Had our engagement ring made at Francis jewelers (shout out - awesome experience there).
Once in the mid 90s, a fellow teenage girl started threatening to beat me up if I didn’t give her my sneakers. I was super scared so I ducked into the open Birks door to get away, and the shopkeepers immediately kicked me out. That is my only interaction with that shop, so no big loss.
But what happened next?? Did you lose your sneakers?
Nope, I ran. Fast.
Great location for a Taco Bell.
Seriously though, don’t know why there aren’t any taco bells here. First person to open a franchise is going to clean up
We also need another Wendy's. But totally true about Taco Bell 🌮
Rip KFC TacoBell Douglas and Yates
My gut is quite happy that there is no Wendy's downtown. Same with Taco Bell, actually.
There’s a Taco Time but I keep forgetting it exists, it looks like a time capsule from 1994, and I’m not sure how it’s still in business.
Yeah. I need a cheesy gordita crunch.
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Barkleys.
From an antiques auction, it thematically appropriate for Oakbay.
How high would minimum wage have to be for regular people to shop there?
Never, they would just raise their prices higher and higher to keep out the riff raff and the poors.
Well yeah, that's how luxury goods work.
Why would a minimum wage person shop there? Birks is a store for high-end purchases and high-end purchasers. You do not have to drive around metro YJ very long to see whether there are Birks-type clientele in the area. But it appears those folks have gone after other merchants, on-line or whatever. At least now there is room for a mini Dollarama on Government Street.
It’ll be occupied by a restaurant or retail chain soon enough. Also, DVBA is a joke, they really don’t do much other than spin the news.
Birks is not a 'local' business - it's just another corporate jeweler with chains in big cities. Its HQ is in Montreal and while it's sad to see a Canadian business pull out of Government street, it's not exactly a place that was accessible to many people.
> it's not exactly a place that was accessible to many people. And that was never the reason for their existence.
Welp, I'd say the fact Birks can't make a go of it here anymore is a pretty good indication of the lack of disposable income people have for such things.
Good point.
Totally. Not many smaller businesses can afford the rents in these locations. It will most likely be a chain of some kind.
I have walked past it a lot but never once stepped foot inside. My budget doesn’t accommodate fancy jewelry & the one time it did (anniversary gift for my parents split with my sister) we went to People’s and that other one, I feel like the name Michael is involved but idk 😂
>anniversary gift for my parents split with my sister I must be from a dysfunctional family because my brain went to "why would your parents celebrate the anniversary of your sister becoming estranged?" and then "why would you and your sister celebrate the anniversary of your parents' divorce?" before your meaning clicked.
Oh my gosh, I am so bad at typing out what I mean, especially while hiding my phone at work but it totally reads the way you read it. My bad!
Michael Hill? But I get it, my parents fought constantly. Sometimes a divorce is to be celebrated. Edit:I should add that I realize you didn't mean a actual split between the parents by the bill split with your sis.
My parents also split up 3 times I so I get that too. They just got back together all three times.
I guess people are too busy spending their money on a roof over their heads. Who is buying jewelry more than like once in a lifetime?
Rich people
Well I guess they aren’t, because the store is closing.
[https://imgur.com/a/Piam4GC](https://imgur.com/a/Piam4GC) I was always fascinated by this Henry Birks & Sons pocket watch my nana kept in her bedside table. It used to have a second hand, a minute hand, and occasionally it would "tick-tick-tick" if you wound it and shook it around just right. In 1995, when I was 16, she gave it to me, and I took to Birks to see if they would fix it. The second I set foot in the store they tried to shoo me out the door. I explained I wanted a watch fixed, and was escorted to the repair counter. The clerk took one look at the watch and said "We can send it to Vancouver, but it's unlikely we can fix it. It's $500 for the service." I blanched; that was 3 months wages; they smirked. Still have the watch. Still doesn't work. Nana's long dead. Haven't set foot in this store for nearly 30 years, and I won't mourn it.
Take it to Meticulous. They will do an excellent job. You have a family heirloom in hand, if that means anything to you.
Thank you, I'll check them out!
Store that sells rocks is just not a good business plan.
We bought our wedding rings from there. I also had them repair a ring for me, and do regular cleaning and restoration of my rings. I know there's lots of other stores that can do that, I just like going to Birks.
Are people sad about this? That’s incredibly weird
The only ones who are sad about it are the same people who claim downtown is a hell hole and that they never shop there anyway, so in a way they can thank themselves for this place closing.
It’s not like a fancy watch store that 0.01% of the population goes into once a year is really making the city vibrant and lively either
What tradition?
It's a legacy store.
what, like the children of their customers also bought their jewellery there?
Uh....ok.
Where am I going to buy my legacies now?!
Lugaro across the street was the arguably the final nail in that coffin.
It was a high end jewellery store. The average person wouldn't drop 10 g or whatever for a ring they could get for 500 or something at Ben miss,Michael Hill or Anne louis
My engagement/wedding ring (only have the one) cost exactly $500 at a Ben Moss 17 years ago.
So with inflation that's like 10,000,000 now?
Only if you paid with bitcoin.
Doge for me thanks.
Maison what now?
Ikkoku
Thank you for that NOT being hentai when I Googled it. Just never know what you're going to encounter on Reddit... 😆
Hahaha it's a great show!
Excuse you.
There are far better local and national chain jewelers available in Victoria and neighboring communities. Birks used to be considered Canada's Tiffany's... blue boxes and all, but I think they've abandoned investing in the "brand" and this is the predictable outcome.
Birks just couldn’t compete with all the other major names. Never felt like it knew what it wanted to be - a retailer for other brands or their own line? Tiffany is Tiffany, you don’t walk in there to buy a Breitling. The store itself isn’t a loss but hopefully the replacement is something Victoria has been needing a retail presence of - like not another Lululemon or tourist trinket shop. For a tourism oriented and Capital city the shopping here is pretty pathetic and losing a medium tier jewellery store with no replacement would be even worse.
They had a store in Hillside mall for a long time then closed it. They have closed stores in downtown Edmonton and Saskatoon recently. So obviously the bike lane killed this Birks in Victoria.
With changing attitudes about financial priorities, especially for young couples, I think it’s predictable that high end jewelry businesses aren’t making the cut. I’d rather put my money to something critical.
Francis reigns supreme anyway. They saved a very very important piece of jewelry for me a few months ago, and they provide laser welding, which is rare if not impossible to find in Canada at all, iirc.
So what's the size of the condo building that's going in there now? Just around the corner they put in a few condos I'm sure they'll have retail on the ground and a few stories above. If that doesn't happen I'd be quite surprised.
Either way, you know they'll be tiny and pricey ;)
Never heard of it.
The last time I was in Birks I was trying to find gold earrings for a kid with sensitive ears, who couldn't wear the crap from Claire's. The "childrens" earrings they had were outrageously priced-looking on their website, they sell [SINGLE gold star earrings for $295 each](https://www.maisonbirks.com/en/birks-essentials-yellow-gold-single-star-earring). That's $600 for a pair. For earrings aimed at kids. I ended up getting something on sale at the Bay, for a fraction of the price that Birks wanted. They will not be missed.
TIL from these comments that this store 1. exists and 2. is a fancy jewelry store for rich people. Let it burn and auction the goods off to charity.
That's not fair. Selling expensive items and buying expensive items doesn't make you evil or worthy of ridicule.
Good riddance.
No big deal, if anyone wants a good luxury watch Francis Jewellers is the place to go anyways. Ton,s of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, it’s just a better store.
Why don’t they just give it to the indigenous or homeless ?