NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. -- The end of an era got underway Thursday as longtime local chain Army and Navy opened its doors for a final sale before it closes for good.

After 101 years, a final blowout at the retailer’s New Westminster location had a crowd of people lining up early. Customers who spoke with CTV News Vancouver said they arrived as early as 6 a.m., hoping for deals on fishing gear, work clothes, and camping supplies.

The store’s director of operations Debbie Elliott said merchandise had been moved over from the Vancouver and Langley locations, adding up to an estimated 600,000 items in store.

“People can expect that everything is on sale, a minimum 25 per cent off,” Elliott said. “I want to make sure the customers have a good experience, they get what they’re after. More importantly, it’s about the staff. These guys have really pulled together the last couple of weeks. It’s taken a lot of work to get this up and running, and they’ve done an incredible job.”

In May, the company announced it would be closing permanently as a result of the financial hit of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The shutdown has been difficult for longtime employee Daniela Shmil, who said she’s still waiting for vacation pay and severance.

“We were like a family, and this bankruptcy break(s) our heart,” Shmil told CTV News.

Shmil said she worked at Army and Navy in Vancouver for almost 17 years, starting as a cashier, and working her way up to a manager position, where she made $37,000 a year. After the stores initially closed their doors in March as a result of COVID-19, Shmil said she first learned the chain was closing for good in the media.

“From the news, we found out,” she said.

Information Shmil received from the company confirming the closure and the end of her employment included a document, which said “it is too early to say if vacation pay and/or severance will be paid.”

Shmil said she’s expecting $8,000 in vacation pay, and other employees are also waiting.

“I want at least my vacation money,” she said. “It means so much. It means that …I can pay my rent for eight months with this $8,000, which, it’s a lot. It’s a lot.”

In a statement to CTV News, Army and Navy said: “Sadly, we are in our final chapter and the closing requires we follow a specific process. We ask for patience and understanding from those who would like to see this move faster.”

The first Army and Navy opened in 1919 on Hastings Street in Vancouver, selling surplus goods from the war at discounted prices.