By Nigel Maxwell

No reason to fear downtown, says woman robbed at knife point

Feb 12, 2016 | 5:29 AM

The story of the violent robbery at Scentiments Floral shop raised a few eyebrows last week when it was first posted on paNOW.com. The store clerk at the centre of the incident is now speaking out.

Identified only as “Tanya,” she is addressing some recent concerns about safety in the downtown.  A recent poll question posted on paNOW.com, asked if people felt safe in downtown Prince Albert. The poll received over 2,500 votes and 65 per cent of respondents said they do not.

“If you had asked me two years ago, I definitely would have said no because it wasn’t a place I came and shopped or hung out. It was a place where I got in my car, went and did my business and left,” she said.

Tanya thought a lot of the negative perceptions of the downtown are purely visual.

“A lot of store fronts are not as pretty as other places,” she said.  “You know when you to go to Cornerstone, they all sort of have the same look.”

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After the incident, Tanya cut back her time at the store from full time to casual hours admitting she was anxious after her experience. She added, however, “I would have felt that way anywhere.” 

Tanya does not argue the incident affected her, but she is also refusing to let it change her life.

“I don’t want people to get the impression that I quit out of fear,” she said. “I came to work two days later and managed.”

Tanya said she went to the accused robber’s first court hearing even though admitting to being scared.

“…he’s not going to have any kind of power over me that way.”

The man accused of the robbery, 19-year-old Austin Fiddler is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 25.

nmaxwell@panow.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell