Personal protective equipment store opens its doors in West Island amid coronavirus pandemic
A new retail store specializing in the sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) has opened its doors in Montreal’s West Island.
GLO-MD in Pierrefonds welcomed clients into its pop-up store for the first time Thursday morning.
Situated off St-Jean Boulevard, the store, which sells sanitary and safety equipment, is the first of its kind in Montreal, according to owner Shane Narvey.
“You may find gloves, you may find hand sanitizer but not all of that is in one store,” Narvey said.
“We are trying to fill that void in the market.”
Everything from hand sanitizer in small and large formats, to reusable masks and even medical-grade protective gear is for sale.
Usually selling to commercial stores, the wholesale company decided to set up shop after seeing the demand skyrocket due to the coronavirus.
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“We had the product on floor, why not open it up to the everyday consumer?” Narvey said.
A lineup of customers eager to stock up on the coveted supplies stood outside the new business on opening day.
“It was the shields, as soon as I saw they had them, I came,” shopper Joanne Silverman said.
Silverman, a soon-to-be grandmother, was gearing up on protective equipment for the whole family.
She claims PPE is not readily available for the everyday consumer.
“We’re not trying to make our fortune off this,” Narvey said.
With demand so high, prices are actually somewhat reasonable, consumers told Global News.
Reusable masks start at $15 and four-litre jugs of hand sanitizer cost $60.
Narvey says price gouging is something that he has seen during the crisis, however he claims prices have gone down recently, allowing him to follow suit and sell for less.
The Pierrefonds location is currently the only store that has opened so far.
Narvey said the store will stay open as long as it is profitable.
He says if business is booming, he does plan on opening more locations throughout the island.
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