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Iconic brand returning to Victoria under new ownership

Fred Aram of West Coast Appliance Gallery has purchased the storied Capital Iron brand
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The former Capital Iron store in Victoria is seen in October, 2022. The brand is set to be revived under a new owner and business model after Fred Aram purchased the rights to the business after it closed its doors in December, 2022. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)

Iconic Victoria brand Capital Iron is set to be reborn from the ashes this year under new ownership and with a new vision.

Fred Aram, owner of West Coast Appliance Gallery, has purchased the name, website and rights to the Capital Iron brand after the company under Mike Black closed its Victoria and Langford stores permanently on Dec. 17.

“I read on the news a while back that Capital Iron was closing down, and I didn’t know why because a company with such a long history and strong name in the community closing down just didn’t make sense,” said Aram.

“I thought it was a shame for a name that strong to disappear from the community, so I contacted Mike Black … and started talking about purchasing the intellectual property of the company, the name, the website, and the right to use it in the future.”

Aram said the previous iteration of the company went into receivership and his negotiations to purchase the brand continued with the trustee. Aram couldn’t go into specifics about the deal, but said it was a “minor transaction.”

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He said the purchase made a lot of sense from his perspective, as the outdoor living section of Capital Iron compliments his other business with West Coast Appliance Gallery, on top of the name recognition within the community.

His plan is to operate the new Capital Iron as a completely separate company from the previous iteration and from his other businesses. The new Capital Iron will not operate as a general store as it once did, and instead will focus only on outdoor living products like barbecues, outdoor grills, hot tubs, and patio furniture.

The only point of crossover between his businesses will be a certain degree of shared service technicians, as he plans on operating the new Capital Iron under a similar business model of sales and service seen at West Coast Appliance Gallery.

A pair of former Capital Iron employees have already signed on to the new company, and once a location is settled Aram said he will start talks with other former employees about possible positions.

Aram said he plans to operate the business out of a single Victoria location and a smaller footprint than the original general store. He is in the process of securing a new space, and if negotiations go well, he hopes to have the new store open in time for the peak outdoor living shopping season in the spring.

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@JSamanski
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com

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Justin Samanski-Langille

About the Author: Justin Samanski-Langille

I moved coast-to-coast to discover and share the stories of the West Shore, joining Black Press in 2021 after four years as a reporter in New Brunswick.
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