August 6, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Another business has shut its doors in Calgary’s Marda Loop, pointing to ongoing construction as the final blow.
Doodle Dogs, a locally owned pet supply store, announced it has permanently closed its location in the southwest neighbourhood after struggling for years with disruptions tied to the City of Calgary’s Marda Loop Main Street revitalization project.
In a candid social media post, the store’s owners expressed frustration and financial exhaustion, saying they simply couldn’t keep up.
“The construction absolutely killed our store,” the post reads. “The parking, the accessibility, the back parking lot for drivers — it all became too much.”
“You win, city. We hope your sidewalks and underground lines are everything you hoped for, but we can no longer carry the costs of running a beautiful pet store in this community.”
The owners say they poured thousands of dollars and months of effort into trying to keep the store afloat, but ultimately closed as of Tuesday.
Bob Van Wegen with the Marda Loop Business Improvement Area (BIA) acknowledged the challenges.
“I know it’s been tough for them, it’s been tough for many other businesses,” he said. “I take their comment at face value and wish them all the best.”
In a statement to CityNews, the City of Calgary said it had consulted with businesses when planning this year’s construction schedule. The city added that it provided a one-time grant to local businesses and installed two temporary parking lots to ease access concerns.
“The Marda Loop Main Street project is on track to finish this fall,” the city said. “Most major work is already complete, and remaining construction is taking place along 34 Avenue SW in localized, block-by-block segments to help maintain access.”
This latest closure comes as the city faces a $75 million class-action lawsuit filed earlier this year by several Marda Loop businesses claiming the project caused significant financial harm.
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