My Kitchen is closing its doors after 25 years
OTTAWA – A staple of the Byward Market will soon be closing. For 25 years, Ma Cuisine has been the essential place for everything related to cooking. If you need something, chances are you can find it there.
For owner Claire Lauzon, deciding to close her store was a tough decision, but she says it was the right one.
âOh, my heart is broken. I am, âsays Lauzon. âSome days I cry, and some days I’m very strong. Some days, in the middle of an interview, I cry. So yes, my heart is broken; we’ve had such support from the community and it’s been so good. People have been so good with Ma Cuisine. It has been a success since the day I opened the doors 25 years ago.
Lauzon says the reason for the shutdown has nothing to do with the pandemic and that it is a decision that has taken years.
âI’m retiring,â says Lauzon. âThis is why we are closing. But the store is for sale, so hopefully someone saves it and doesn’t have to close.
Some clients, like Ramonde Carrier, have frequented Ma Cuisine for almost 20 years.
âIt’s a unique store,â says Carrier. “I think it’s very sad this closing, because it’s a beautiful store and I would like to buy everything in the store.”
Others have shopped here since it opened.
âI have lived in the market for 35 years and somehow this is one of the stores I went to when I needed beautiful, useful and durable items,â explains the client Kristina Edwards.
For Melissa Ranger, My Kitchen has spanned generations in her family.
âIt was my parents who originally found this store and brought us here and it would be a treat,â says Ranger. âEverything is so classy and nice, you know. This is the place where you want to come and buy your kitchen supplies.
The store will close by the end of the year if no buyers have been found
âThe plan if we close – if we don’t sell – will be at the end of the year,â Lauzon says, âwhenever I’m out of stock. We have a full basement and we have all the fall and Christmas stuff that still needs to come out. “
Lauzon says that while she will miss Ma Cuisine, she is ready for the next step in her life and spending more time with her family.
âMy husband has been retired for six years so we can’t wait to do more skiing and more travel and cycling. We are very active people, so we look forward to a lot of this. ”