It’s the final day for Chuckles, a costume shop that has done business in the city for the past 30 years and owners say the day is a bittersweet one.

Bernadette Fletcher and her husband bought the store about 15 years ago, seeing it as a good investment and an interesting challenge to take on.

“It turned out to be a good thing and fun thing, so we turned it into our little business and we loved every minute,” Fletcher says.

All of her immediate family had gotten involved in the store at some point during their run as owners.

“My husband’s been at the cash and he’s been our accountant. I’ve been the ordering person and our daughter’s been our online person. We had our granddaughter here today. She’s been running around the store since she’s been itty bitty,” she says.

There are a few reasons that forced them to finally shut down, Fletcher says, including the economy, delays from construction and the rapid growth of the online marketplace.

“There’s a lot of online shopping now; Amazon. You find a lot of people come in and look at our product and go home and order it online. So there’s a lot of online shopping going on, it’s really hard on us Mom ‘n’ Pop shops.”

Renee Owen, who has worked at Chuckles on and off since 1984, says there are a lot of favourite things she got to enjoy at the store over the years.

“I have a chin mask. It just covers here and lines up with my glasses. A lot of people look at it and wonder what’s wrong because they don’t get the fact that it’s a mask. It’s really good. It looks like I got stung by bees or something.”

She says she’ll also miss the customers who came into the store on a regular basis and even those who came in once in a while.

“There are so many different people and entertainment is part of our world. This is what it is. This is what it is.”

Owen says she was hoping to retire from the shop that’s been her life for so many years.

“Yes I have education, college and etcetera. I gave that all up to be here because this is just way more fun.”

Fletcher says that the support on her shop’s final day is fantastic.

“It really hits our heart. We’re grateful for all of them and thank Calgary for the best years that we’ve had. It’s the end of an era.”

Chuckles closes for the last time at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

(With files from Brad MacLeod)