Shelbourne Plaza - Part Two

I well remember the objections when a liquor store was proposed.  A petition was circulated by angry and apprehensive neighboring families, who envisioned drunks opening bottles in front of the premises.  Evidently the petition was successful and the liquor store was put on the back burner for a few years.  In its place sprung up the Club Soho, where, if one obtained a permit, liquor could be consumed on the premises.  

On February 29, 1964, a reunion was held at the Soho (located roughly where the Bank of Nova Scotia now stands). It was a gala affair, reuniting the old Cadboro Bay gang that used to gather together in the late 1930s.  More than 200 people turned out, some from afar, and danced to the tunes of the 1940s, played by the Mayfair orchestra.

Club Soho folded and Cablevision moved into the premises on June 3, 1967.  A disastrous fire occurred in February 1968 destroying all but a few files.  Before the firemen had finished cleaning up, cable was back on the air, from the basement of John Foss' home at the corner of Kingsberry and Richmond, utilizing parts scrounged from maintenance trucks.  Within ten months of the fire, they set up business in their new location.

The Bank of Nova Scotia has been with the Plaza since 1961, and, after the Cablevision fire, the bank expanded in that direction.  In later years, when Jennings Florist relocated to the Cedar Hill Mall, the bank spread its wings once again and absorbed that section.

In 1974 the long awaited liquor store, like the last piece of a jig-saw puzzle, dropped into place.  Many will recall that it filled the space that once was a convenient shortcut through to Poplar Street.

Louis Copens, the jeweler, has expanded his premises and now has a dazzling display of fancy clocks and sparkling glassware as well as his jewelery.  He mentioned that the cost of becoming engaged to your chosen one has tripled. His shop has experienced a couple of break-ins and one smash and grab.

A family business that has survived these many years is the A & L Bakery.  I asked Lyle and Rose Sauter where the name of the bakery originated.  Lyle said his original partner was Alf Harris, so they just took the first letters of their two names.  Many years ago he used to operate a bakery in Barkerville called the Goldfield.  When he opened the A & L in 1960, bread was 16 cents a loaf - the same loaf today is 73 cents.  Donuts used to be 50 cents a dozen, now they are $3 a dozen.

Teenagers who worked for them now have teenagers of their own.  The Sauter children all worked in the bakery over the years and one son, Rick, is a permanent staff member. Another son, Lawrence, works part-time for his parents while attending Camosun College.

The original operator of the barber shop was Harvey Bolton. Since then, Vic Wilk who ran it for eight years, has retired and his two sons have taken over the reins.

The fish and chip restaurant has had several owners and is now managed by Scotsman Dave Gray and his wife Sandra. It is a very popular spot and frequented faithfully by the other merchants.

Peg's Delicatessen and Tom's House of Pizza have been with us for many years.

The bicycle shop is a favorite haunt of the kids, eyeing the latest in the bicycle world, however tragedy struck our plaza on Oct 24, 1969 when Fred and Merle Owens, who originally operated this sports shop, were killed in an auto accident on the Patricia Bay Highway.

Many little businesses have come and gone over the years and in 1982 only three of the original owners remain - the jeweler, the baker and the beauty salon.

My husband and I can remember when the whole area of the plaza was occupied by the Ellis dairy farm.  

In Spring 2014, the Plaza parking lot was refurbished. Bowker Creek lies buried beneath the blacktop and only a tell-tale reinforced path known to the old-timers gives that secret away.