A local Sudbury corner store, Gloria’s Convenience, has been around for 65 years and will soon be closing its doors.

Gloria’s Restaurant and Convenience is owned by the Michel family who say several factors are resulting in the closing of the latter part of the business.

Extended grocery store hours and illegal cigarette sales are just two of the challenges faced by the small “mom and pop” operation, with the imminent wage hike being the tipping point.

"The straw that broke the camel's back is really the minimum wage increase. At $11.40 I was struggling to make money. I brought in Country Style kiosks, self-serve kiosks to drive traffic. I brought in soft ice cream to drive traffic, but with minimum wage going from $11.40 to 14 dollars, it just doesn't work anymore." said owner Bruno Michel.

With the declining demand, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association predicts 500 locations will go out of business in the next year and a half, citing the key problems are contraband tobacco and soaring hydro rates.

Dave Bryans of Ontario Convenience Stores Association says "especially in Northern Ontario because there's such a high reliance on tobacco by small businesses. Secondly of course, we're all dissatisfied with the high hydro rates and out of control hydro rates. And small businesses use more hydro and they're actually really hurting the bottom line."

One positive note is that diners will still be able to enjoy the traditional experience of the restaurant that locals have come to enjoy.  There are even plans to use the vacant space for extra restaurant seating that will accommodate larger private functions such as birthday or holiday parties.  Renovations are hoped to be completed by Christmas.

"Often people have come in and they brought their children in and now their children have now grown up and now have children,so they're coming as well. It's really funny because some of the kids that we have served when they were 5-years-old,now work for me. So it's really been a community building place. A place where people meet and greet." said Michel.