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Published Dec 23, 2023 • 3 minute read
Stella Luna Gelato Café is permanently closing its Wellington Street West location on Saturday after announcing last week that it was laying off almost all its staff.
In a Facebook post, the European café said Friday it was having a closing sale at the west-end location to commemorate the shop’s final day. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Stella Luna said all products would be 40 per cent off.
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“It’s been our honour to serve the Wellington West community and (we) hope to see you at one of our other locations in the New Year,” the post said.
The closure comes just over a week after Stella Luna announced publicly that the family business “along with countless others” across the country, was struggling.
“Economic conditions have worsened for families as they make every effort to meet their basic needs, leaving little to no income left for anything but the bare essentials,” read a Dec. 14 Facebook post signed by the Giuliani family. “In an effort to survive the economic downturn this winter, and after four years of nationwide financial uncertainty, we have had to lay off almost all of our staff.”
Stella Luna’s Bank Street and Merrickville locations will be closed for the holidays starting on Dec. 24, reopening on Jan. 3. The business’ Carleton Place location closed permanently earlier this month after opening in May 2022.
The business faced threats and backlash in 2022 after a leaked list of GiveSendGo donors showed that owner Tammy Giuliani had donated $250 to the Ottawa “Freedom Convoy” and was “taking food down to the truckers every day.”
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Giuliani made her Feb. 5 donation on the second weekend of the demonstration as Ottawa police were describing the situation as “volatile and dangerous.” At the same time, lawyers were seeking a court injunction to silence the constant blaring of air horns in the downtown core.
As Stella Luna received criticism for its donation, the business posted on Facebook two weeks later a “heartfelt thank you for all the kind messages of support and encouragement,” including the hashtag “#PistachioOverPolitics.”
More recently, a neighbouring business, Sharpfle Waffle, had to shut down at the end of April after Stella Luna insisted that an exclusivity clause it had in its lease with landlord Taggart Realty Management be enforced. Sharpfle Waffle now operates a location on Hinchey Avenue.
At the time, Stella Luna issued a statement indicating that the business was “never consulted or provided notice by our landlord that a competing unit had been allowed to rent a unit in the plaza.”
“We want it to be clear that Stella Luna has no ill intent towards Sharpfle Waffle,” the gelato shop said. “Unfortunately, we were unable to come to an agreement with our landlord and as such, were left without any other options but to turn to legal action to enforce our contractual rights against our landlord.”
In its Facebook post this week, Stella Luna said there were people in the community who had “already dedicated themselves to online hatred and shaming.”
“There is no shame in working hard,” the social media post read. “And hatred and shame have no place in a just and civilized society.”
This newspaper has reached out to Stella Luna for comment.
With files from Blair Crawford and Peter Hum.
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