THE CORNER STORE

Corner of Fairfield Road and Vancouver

In 1984, I wrote an article about corner stores.  Ken patiently drove around Victoria with me and took amazing photographs of the shops that were still operating as convenience stores at that time.  I hope you enjoy this look into Victoria's past:

Remember the corner store?  They were everywhere!  I mean the REAL corner store, with the ever-present cat curled up in the sunny window and the bell that sounded an inviting jingle announcing your entry.

Corner of Lillian and Fairfield

There are very few of these little gems remaining in Victoria, but I found some.  It is like stepping into the past as you turn the handle on an old wooden door and set foot onto the well worn floor.

Corner of Stanley Avenue & Begbie

The stores I discovered were, on the whole, small and cosy, but the smallest and no doubt the oldest, was at the corner of Government and Michigan Streets - it is literally a cracker box!

Corner of Government & Michigan

This little store was built in 1915 for Pete Metro.  This Greek gentleman arrived in Victoria in 1893.  He was the proprietor of the Maryland Cafe at 1225 Government Street.  The house that stands behind the Corner Confectionary was built in 1905.  The story goes that Mr. Metro felt sorry for a fellow who was unable to obtain work, so he employed him to build the store.  After its completion, the Metro family rented it out.

One of those tenants was a lady who sat in complete repose in the tiny balcony at the back of the store.  From this lofty vantage point she kept an eagle eye on all the customers. She just told people to help themselves and leave their money on the counter!

Merle Fraser operated the store for 21 years.  When she first opened for business, she could only afford to buy three of everything.  Someone would say 'I've just taken your last bottle of ketchup'.  Merle would chuckle and say 'Good, now I can buy three more'.

Most of Merle's business was on the charge system, as many of her customers were on welfare.  Once, when she attempted to collect a bad debt, an irate woman hit her on the head with a cane!  Often people moved houses without notice and she had the frustrating job of tracking them down to pay their bill.  She remembers a cheque that bounced - she managed to trace the chap to an out-of-town motel and then waited until he rolled out of a beer parlour to nab him.

The next time you have occasion to visit the nearest convenience store and push open the heavy glass door, to be greeted by a tangle of teenagers draped over a video machine, take a deep breath and remember - it wasn't always like this!

Corner of Finlayson & Highview

POOSESSION IS 9/10 OF THE LAW

I have another little story to relate regarding one of our twin grand-daughters, Heather, when she was tiny.  Heather was the smaller of the twins and was always determined to keep up with her sister.

One day, when all four grandparents were present, she accomplished a great feat.  Lindsay, her twin, had already dealt with the challenges of toilet training and was quite adept at the procedure.

Heather raced into the living room shouting 'Come! Come!' and began pulling us into the bathroom.  We all followed after her, but, alas, Miss Lindsay entered the bathroom first. With a professional flourish, she retrieved the potty, emptied the contents into the toilet and then, with a final theatrical display, flushed her sister's prize away!

Full of frustration and anger, Heather shouted 'Mine! Mine!' and burst into tears.

We adults hid our laughter and consoled our precious grand-daughter.

Now that Heather has a little one of her own, I am sure she will not mind me sharing this delightful tale with you!

TWIN TALES

Ken and I were extremely excited when we learned our daughter-in-law, Carol, was pregnant again and that this time it was to be twins!  Heather and Lindsay were born May 16, 1984.

It was sure fun watching them grow and witnessing how they bonded.  They had a special 'twin' language which sounded like 'gibberish' to us but they understood each other - one would often crawl or trot off only to return with some item the other had apparently ordered.  They didn't need any playmates, though they did have their 'big' sister, Colleen, who was only two but already in charge!

We tried to give Mark and Carol a break every so often.  Ken and I had the twins for a visit, or Colleen, separately, so that each child felt 'special'.

We took Heather to swings in a nearby park.  

Another time she rode around on a little pink bicycle we bought for her to enjoy.  We cycled together to the grounds of UVIC to feed the ducks.  

Another fun time was when Heather decorated herself in some of my old bracelets and necklaces.  We played catch in our pretty garden, which she loved to help water.  

And I know she really enjoyed helping to make banana splits for dessert.

Our visits with Lindsay were just as special.  She, too, loved playing on the swings at the park.  She had lots of fun (!) raking up oak leaves from our many trees, 

helping to pick apples from our transparent apple tree and then 'helping' me to make applesauce.  

The petting zoo at Beacon Hill Park was a favorite destination.

Once when the girls were older, we had both twins for a visit. I recall Heather (she was the reader) reading aloud to Lindsay as the pair of them sat in front of a cosy fire, Lindsay contentedly knitting or crochetting. The girls never did much 'hanging around' after school, they usually headed for home to do their homework together just enjoying each other's company.

Where has the time gone? We've seen both girls graduate from University and become competent, conscientious school teachers.  They've each married wonderful young men and become loving, caring mothers.  Heather and Adam will soon be parents to a baby brother for Oliver.

Lindsay and Mike adopted sweet baby James Mark and then to their delight found they were pregnant with adorable Juliette, born this past February.

Ken and I have had such a rewarding and full life.  We are blessed to have such wonderful memories and pictures to treasure.