One of White Rock鈥檚 most established gelato shops, situated in one of the most prominent locations in town, is going out of business.

Dolce Gelato has been serving homemade gelato for 20 years at 15045 Marine Dr., at the foot of the White Rock Pier. But come the end of July, that will no longer be the case, owner Davide Pacifici told Peace Arch News Monday.

He listed a string of unfortunate events that led to the shop鈥檚 demise, but the final straw, he said, was a recent 25 per cent increase in his rent.

Although the rent increase was a key factor in his decision to shut shop, Pacifici expressed no ill will about the situation.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in fights. I鈥檓 a lover, not a fighter. And you know what, I believe in karma and I always say that after the hurricane, comes the sunshine. That鈥檚 my philosophy,鈥� Pacifici said.

Pacifici鈥檚 landlord, Aaron Van Wachem, said in the two decades Dolce Gelato has been in business, rent was less than $3,000 per month, which is 鈥渇ar below market.鈥�

Van Wachem said the proposed 25 per cent rent increase was to catch up Dolce Gelato with the surrounding market.

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鈥淚 think they鈥檝e enjoyed a highly discounted rent for 20 years and when we try to bring it up closer to the market, they really panicked. I think they鈥檝e done really well to the point where they can take six months off every year for 20 years,鈥� Van Wachem said.

Van Wachem said it was upsetting to hear on a radio newscast that the rent increase was being blamed for the shop closing.

He told PAN the increase was in motion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the tenant didn鈥檛 provide a counter-offer, and he took issue with how he鈥檚 being portrayed in the media.

鈥淯ntil you called me, no one bothered to get the other side of the story, which is frustrating for me because we have discounted their rent for 20 years and now everyone鈥檚 making all these crazy comments on Facebook about me. It鈥檚 so upside down. In reality, in my opinion, there should be some gratitude for the 20 years of discounted rent that afforded them the opportunity to travel the world every year for six months,鈥� Van Wachem said.

Other expenses Van Wachem said aren鈥檛 being considered, are property taxes, gas, and water.

Dolce Gelato is just one of a number of businesses along the waterfront that have permanently closed in recent years.

In early 2017, the White Rock waterfront was gaining a reputation in the Lower Mainland of becoming a 鈥済host town.鈥� Business owners struggled with the seasonal nature of the area鈥檚 popularity, parking costs and availabilty, lease rates, and other restaurant industry woes. The result left a number of storefronts vacant, some of which are still vacant to this day.

White Rock Business Improvement Association fought the label with a event in spring 2017.

The event was held a few months prior to a number of unforeseen challenges that arose to stack the odds against waterfront entrepreneurs.

In September 2017, City of White Rock erected a fence around the Memorial Park before hosting an invitation-only ground-breaking ceremony for a multi-million dollar upgrade to the park. However, the ceremony came to a halt before the event could begin, following a between Semiahmoo First Nation and city officials.

Then-mayor Wayne Baldwin called off the ceremony after being handed a cease-and-desist order from SFN Chief Harley Chappell. Chappell described the site as a potential ancient burial ground, which needed further investigation before work could begin.

鈥淲e find this disrespectful to us, and our ancestors, in every way,鈥� Chappell wrote at the time.

The park was fenced off for a number of months before work began.

鈥淐hallenge number one was the job site in 2017,鈥� Pacifici said. 鈥淢emorial Park took almost two years, basically closing down completely Marine Drive and no parking available.鈥�

While the park was still under construction, a destroyed White Rock鈥檚 iconic pier in December 2018. Memorial Park re-opened in April 2019, and the pier re-opened the following September.

However, the pier, promenade, parking and most beach access points were in March due concerns regarding physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淏ut you see, the COVID-19, for me, is something that comes and goes. What scared me was the other situation that, honestly, I didn鈥檛 like so much. But that鈥檚 all I would like to say,鈥� Pacifici said.

Pacifici, who said the store will remain open until the end of July, speaks fondly his time operating Dolce Gelato. For many young Semiahmoo Peninsula students, the gelato shop served as their first job.

鈥淚t was a fun place to work,鈥� he said.

He said he will miss his long-term customers, and thanked the community for the support.

鈥淎nd I鈥檓 really sorry for everybody, and for the community of course. We don鈥檛 need to have established businesses, whatever they are, go away like this. It鈥檚 very sad.鈥�

He hinted that he might re-start the business in a different location.

鈥淎fter closing here and putting everything in storage, we will try to find a new location in the area, hopefully. We鈥檒l start everything from scratch, brand new, fresh, and a positive attitude.鈥�

aaron.hinks@peacearchnews.com
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