Recently a woman phoned and asked if I had any history about the Shelbourne Plaza.
Well, it just so happens I wrote an article about the plaza in 1982 and even though thirty years have passed, I thought some of you might be interested in the history - bear in mind there have been a lot of changes since 1982....
Here is the article:
One day while mailing a letter at our local plaza, I was startled to see a sign in the window of El-Rosa Modes (ladies wear shop) which read: "The good die young - thanks to high interest and rent, closing out sale". This little business has been part of the Shelbourne Plaza since 1968 and it is very sad to witness its demise, as well as being a frightening indication of the times. The proprietors, Mr. Swan and Mrs. Rosina Steel, regret being forced into such a situation.
Many of their goods are manufactured right here in Victoria and include custom design work to accommodate physical disabilities. Daughters of customers have grown up and carried on their mothers' patronage. The passing years have seen slim young girls change into well rounded matrons.
Right next door is the thriving business of The Nearly New Shop, operated by Margot Currie and her daughter, Brenda. At first I thought the fact that they remain in business is because second hand goods might be more popular in the present economy, but they informed me that their lease is up for renewal in 1983, so only time will tell that story.
The staff of The Nearly New also runs the sub post office very efficiently, with exceptional service at Christmas. This postal service has been disrupted twice due to break-ins resulting in the entire contents of the safe being removed.
At one time, their location was occupied by a small variety store, run by a young Dutch couple who now operate a butcher shop in Houston, Texas.
The one million dollar Shelbourne Plaza celebrated its grand opening Jan 28, 1960. The developers decided to incorporate the word 'plaza' into the name because plazas of ancient Spain were the community and shopping centres of the day. The grand opening was well attended even though it was a cloudy day, with intermittent rain and accompanying chilly winds.
George McIlveen was the proud manager of the Shop Easy store at the time of the opening. Reminiscing in his attractive Irish brogue, he recalled some of the specials offered that day: Zee bathroom tissue - 4 rolls for 49 cents, leg of pork for 57 cents per pound, two pounds of ground beef for 89 cents a pound, 8 tins of Aylmers tomato soup for 80 cents and Florida grapefruit were 6 for 49 cents.
One of the bold statements in the Colonist write-up was "When fully occupied it will be the most modern and up-to-date shopping center in Victoria."
We've sure come a long way since then, with plazas and malls scattered throughout the city.
One year, soon after the plaza was opened, our children entered a Halloween costume contest sponsored by the merchants. The kids wore costumes that were giant replicas of playing cards. Mummy and daddy spent many hours painstakingly constructing the costumes from large pieces of cardboard - Queen of Hearts for Terry and Jack of Diamonds for Mark. We created these costumes in the form of sandwich boards often used in advertising.
Our kids won for 'most unusual costume' and the prize was being allowed to scoop up all the brand new pennies their hot little hands could hold.
Easter of 1961 brought another promotional stunt, this time in the form of the Easter Bunny who arrived by helicopter on the blacktopped parking area.
Our Shop-Easy was the first store in the district to begin evening hours. The manager at the time, Robin May, recalls one particular night when he had closed up shop and driven home. He no sooner reached his abode when he received a call from the police to say his store was on fire. Having just left the premises, he found this hard to believe. He checked with the fire department and discovered the fire brigade was already on the job.
He rushed back to the store, where clouds of smoke, firemen and equipment greeted him. It turned out to be a case of where there's smoke, there isn't necessarily fire. Someone had been burning rubbish in the incinerator at the back of the building and some nearby boxes were smoldering. The smoke seeped into the store. A passerby saw the smoke and assumed the worst. Unfortunately the firemen found it necessary to break one of the heavy glass doors to gain entry to the store before the actual source of the smoke was established.
There were professional offices in the Plaza, as well. When mild-mannered Dr. Pepper, the optometrist, was adjacent to Dr. Piper, I was often reminded of the tongue twister "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers".
Next door to the Shop Easy there was a hobby shop run by Terry Walls, who later moved to Harbour Square.
Many will remember when the drugstore was owned by Martin Doan.
Margo Beauty Salon began its days in the other half of the current drugstore but later moved to its present location in a separate building near the Plaza. When the salon first opened, the cost of an average permanent wave was $12.50, by 1982 that cost has risen to $45.00.
The other half of this small building (now occupied by Harvey's) originally housed the Tasty-Freeze which had previously been isolated by at the front of the parking lot. Back in those days the Shop-Easy had a machine which produced and provided the hamburgers for the Tasty-Freeze.
Many people will recall when the hardware store was owned and run by Sleggs and boasted a small lumber supply. The hardware store has always been run by friendly, helpful people and the present family is no exception to this rule.
Who could possibly forget Isobel Dempster who so ably ran the Plaza Paint Pot! The individual attention she gave to matching wallpaper and paint was something to behold.
Margaret White, who used to manage the Merry Mart variety store, says that one Halloween they had such an inviting display in their window it was just too much temptation for some youngsters. They hurled a rock through the window and grabbed as much candy as their hands could hold. They were in the process of calmly dividing their loot when the police arrived.
There was a small pet corner which housed goldfish, hamsters, etc. presided over by the lone male on the premises, a young man named Melvin Falk. He used to fondly refer to all the female staff as his six mothers. He was devoted to his duties and I understand that after completing a course in ichthyology (study of fish) he was employed by the Manitoba government.
Often Margaret received a phone call from an anxious mother informing her that a little person was on his way to the store clutching some money which was to be spent on a birthday card and present. Would she keep an eye out for him? Margaret not only helped the youngster select a present but often called the mother back to say 'mission accomplished' and assure her that the little shopper was en route home again with 'so much' change in hand.
One of the girls on staff was mother to a baby usually looked after by grandma. Occasionally grandma took a break and went into town, leaving the baby in a buggy at the back of the store. The girls took turns keeping an eye on the precious bundle until the rejuvenated grandmother returned. These are but two examples of the folksy, friendly atmosphere in that little store.
Our kids won for 'most unusual costume' and the prize was being allowed to scoop up all the brand new pennies their hot little hands could hold.
Easter of 1961 brought another promotional stunt, this time in the form of the Easter Bunny who arrived by helicopter on the blacktopped parking area.
Our Shop-Easy was the first store in the district to begin evening hours. The manager at the time, Robin May, recalls one particular night when he had closed up shop and driven home. He no sooner reached his abode when he received a call from the police to say his store was on fire. Having just left the premises, he found this hard to believe. He checked with the fire department and discovered the fire brigade was already on the job.
He rushed back to the store, where clouds of smoke, firemen and equipment greeted him. It turned out to be a case of where there's smoke, there isn't necessarily fire. Someone had been burning rubbish in the incinerator at the back of the building and some nearby boxes were smoldering. The smoke seeped into the store. A passerby saw the smoke and assumed the worst. Unfortunately the firemen found it necessary to break one of the heavy glass doors to gain entry to the store before the actual source of the smoke was established.
There were professional offices in the Plaza, as well. When mild-mannered Dr. Pepper, the optometrist, was adjacent to Dr. Piper, I was often reminded of the tongue twister "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers".
Next door to the Shop Easy there was a hobby shop run by Terry Walls, who later moved to Harbour Square.
Many will remember when the drugstore was owned by Martin Doan.
Margo Beauty Salon began its days in the other half of the current drugstore but later moved to its present location in a separate building near the Plaza. When the salon first opened, the cost of an average permanent wave was $12.50, by 1982 that cost has risen to $45.00.
The other half of this small building (now occupied by Harvey's) originally housed the Tasty-Freeze which had previously been isolated by at the front of the parking lot. Back in those days the Shop-Easy had a machine which produced and provided the hamburgers for the Tasty-Freeze.
Many people will recall when the hardware store was owned and run by Sleggs and boasted a small lumber supply. The hardware store has always been run by friendly, helpful people and the present family is no exception to this rule.
Who could possibly forget Isobel Dempster who so ably ran the Plaza Paint Pot! The individual attention she gave to matching wallpaper and paint was something to behold.
Margaret White, who used to manage the Merry Mart variety store, says that one Halloween they had such an inviting display in their window it was just too much temptation for some youngsters. They hurled a rock through the window and grabbed as much candy as their hands could hold. They were in the process of calmly dividing their loot when the police arrived.
There was a small pet corner which housed goldfish, hamsters, etc. presided over by the lone male on the premises, a young man named Melvin Falk. He used to fondly refer to all the female staff as his six mothers. He was devoted to his duties and I understand that after completing a course in ichthyology (study of fish) he was employed by the Manitoba government.
Often Margaret received a phone call from an anxious mother informing her that a little person was on his way to the store clutching some money which was to be spent on a birthday card and present. Would she keep an eye out for him? Margaret not only helped the youngster select a present but often called the mother back to say 'mission accomplished' and assure her that the little shopper was en route home again with 'so much' change in hand.
One of the girls on staff was mother to a baby usually looked after by grandma. Occasionally grandma took a break and went into town, leaving the baby in a buggy at the back of the store. The girls took turns keeping an eye on the precious bundle until the rejuvenated grandmother returned. These are but two examples of the folksy, friendly atmosphere in that little store.
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