We've seen it happen all too often. A small business you frequent, suddenly shuts its doors.
At the end of January, a restaurant along Beach Avenue in Peachland will do just that.
Three years ago, Chef and Owner Praneil Rai built his dream, Restaurant 91. Year one was promising, but then Mother Nature got involved.
Flooding, wildfires and endless smoke have kept the tourists away for the past two years, playing havoc with the bottom line of not only Rai's restaurant in Peachland, but many other businesses in the Central Okanagan.
Rai says in Peachland, you make your money in the warmth and sunshine of summer and learn to survive the winters. So, if your profits are diminished because tourism is way down, there's little you can do to recover.
As a result, he had to make the very emotional decsion to close Restaurant 91 for good.
Chef Rai will take some time off to reflect and make decisions about his future. He says it will likely be in the restaurant business in some capacity because he loves the industry and the people.