The Neighbourhood Family-Run Corner Store Experience

It was 8 o'clock on a cold winter night, and I was doing my homework seated near the big pot-bellied stove in the family room trying to keep warm. My father shouted out, "Frank, I have an order for you to deliver. Mr. Cameron wants a quart of milk and a few postage stamps." I could never understand why Mr. Cameron could not come up to the store himself, since he lived only a block away. However, I gladly did the chore because Mr. Cameron was a big tipper. I knew I would get 10 cents, which was a lot of money in the late thirties, and then I would just need 3 more cents to attend the Roy Rogers picture series which was playing at the Capitol Theatre each Saturday.

Our store was on the corner of Grafton and Weymouth Streets. As I recall, most of the comer neighbourhood stores were operated by Lebanese families and consisted mainly of the largest room at the corner of the house. The family usually lived at the back, side and/or above the store. Operating the store was more than just a business; it was a way of life much like the family farm where the husband, wife and all of the children, usually five to eight, worked together to make it a success. Those were the days when children were considered an asset. Unfortunately today they are too often

considered a liability.

E, ’3,

First Store Second Store