Shopping Stories

As we move into the busiest season for retailers, it might be a good time to pause and examine how our shopping habits have changed over time.  

While there is a generation who can’t remember a time before there were Amazon deliveries, there are also some folks among us (I confess that I am one) who can remember when malls were the bright new thing.

What is often missing from on-line shopping and mall browsing is the personal touch one gets at a smaller, independent shop, something that has made the shopping local so popular in our neighbourhood.

Not all stores on St. Clair were prime choices for retail therapy.  Donovan Wong and Peter Mohan both recall a time when car dealerships, gas stations and battery repair shops were sprinkled through the area. As Joe Mihevc explains these businesses were remnants of a time when cars were young, and St. Clair was the northernmost boundary of the city.

But there were also lots of other shops to serve the community, some of which are still operating today.  Mary B has found the shopkeepers are willing to go the extra mile for their regular customers, some even offering to bring by her groceries when she was laid up with a broken leg. For Kathleen Dunphy, mother of nine, it was the convenience of shops near enough to home that she could send one of her kids to pick up essentials.

And some shopkeepers found ways to make it fun for kids. Dorothy Bader tells a story about a butcher who mixed nickels in with the traditional sawdust on the floor as a Hallowe’en treat for sharp eyed kids accompanying their moms in the shop.

Others, like Damon’s Store at Valewood and Wychwood, was, as Valerie Endicott recalls, popular with the Humewood students, despite its grumpy owner!

There were also department store chains serving the neighbourhood. One which gets mentioned a lot is Kresge’s. To hear the great stories of the squeaky floors and the popular lunch counter, check out the Kresge’s Storied Theme and listen to the “Attention Shoppers” blog post from Nov 18, 2020.

Woolworth’s, a Kresge’s competitor, figured in the life of Phil Decina, whose sister learned to make Western Omelettes while working at the lunch counter there - a skill she brought home and shared with the family. Phil also remembers what may have been the oddest retail marriage – a fish store that sold record albums. Gives a whole new meaning to musical scales!

While Woolworths may have been Dorothy Bader’s  favourite spot to Christmas shop, for Donovan Wong, Shoprite was the way to go, with its colourful catalogue and all the merchandise stored out of sight. And anyone who’s ordered Christmas cake from Gerry’s Jamaican Fast Food knows how seriously Donovan takes Christmas!

So, when your finger hovers over the purchase button worrying about whether the colour of your item will match what you see on your screen, or if you’ll ever be able to connect with an actual person to answer your question about sizing, remember there’s another way. Shop local!

While many of the shops mentioned in the interviews have moved on, St. Clair West Avenue still hosts a number of wonderful neighbourhood shopkeepers who will make your shopping experience worth the trip.