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