North Bay liquidation store aims to bring treasure hunts to discount shopping

The co-owners of a new liquidation store in North Bay, Samuel Quesnel and Chloé Boivenue, say they want to bring a treasure hunt shopping experience to the city.

“Oh yeah we’re so excited,” said Quesnel, about the Friday opening of Bin City Liquidation.

“We’ve been waiting for so long … The day to show up is tomorrow.”

The couple is from Cornwall, but they have family in North Bay. They wanted to try something different and decided to open the city’s first bin store on Shirreff Avenue in the Century Centre Plaza.

“The moment we moved here we started looking for a place,” said Boivenue.

“We decided why not invest our money?”

Their space is 5,000 square feet with several bins filled to the brim with overstocked and product returns from big retailers like Walmart and Amazon.

“There are no stores around bringing these good deals and that’s what we want to do,” said Quesnel.

“Bring good deals and fun to people.”

Their inventory comes from a supplier near Toronto. Merchandise will be shipped in weekly and the store will be re-stocked on Thursdays with items selling for $25.

“We can kind of choose what we want to order,” said Boivenue.

The co-owners say every day, the inventory decreases in price by $5 until Wednesday when everything is just $2.

“It can be anything you can imagine. Like literally anything,” Quesnel said with a smile.

“The more people say what they want us to bring to the store, the more we can bring that item for them.”

Cambrian College marketing professor Brian Vendramin said the interest in bargain bin shopping is gaining popularity in Canada among people who enjoy the thrill of a hunt.

“It’s not just pile them high and watch them buy,” Vendramin said.

“Good, new merchandise that’s regularly refreshed will certainly be a drawing card … People are trying to get the biggest bang for the buck. They’ve been stressed with the high interest rates etc.”

If Bin City Liquidation is successful, an expansion into Sudbury is likely.

“It’s something we’ll enjoy every day,” said Quesnel.