Your Business Matters

ELDRIDGEVILLE GENERAL STORE TURNS 140!

Special Feature to the Eldridgeville Gazette

Few general stores can boast serving the public for 140 years but Eldridgeville General Store has operated for 140 years under the ownership and management of the Eldridge Family. Truly a unique achievement! Currently owned and operated by Earl Eldridge, Earl is the fourth generation to run the store. His great-grandfather Eli, started the store in 1885 when the village was nothing but four corners at the junction of two dirt roads. In fact, his great grandfather named the village Eldridgeville since the Eldridge family made up the majority of the population.

When asked about the beginnings of commerce in the community, Earl replied, "back in the day, the needs were simple. The community was largely rural and people were both resourceful and self-sufficient. Travel was by horse and buggy; people made do. The settlers were mostly farmers but they relied on the store for kerosene, candles, some dry goods, staples such as flour and sugar and some boots and shoes. As homes were built, the store evolved. For example, coal and delivery were added for the homes in the village. Not everyone burned wood."

"Through the generations, we constantly evolved to the needs of our customers," Earl proudly yet modestly stated. "Each generation of shop keepers had their own set of circumstances and challenges. My grandfather took over the business in 1925. He faced hard years. Farmers were struggling with high debt and low crop prices. Then the depression hit. It wasn't easy but my grandfather managed. He extended short term credit and allowed customers to barter and trade for the goods they needed. Everyone had rough years in the 1930s."

"How did your father guide the business during his management?"

"Well, my dad 'Elwood Eldridge,' try that tongue twister," Earl chuckled before continuing, "Dad took over when my grandfather had had enough. That was 1940, the same year I was born. My Dad was only twenty-five but had been helping in the store since he was a young boy. He had a second sense about customer service and supplying what was needed before the customer even knew. He had a hardware section, a grocery section and got Canada Post talked into using the store for mail sorting and delivery. See those pigeon holes on the wall? No lock and key, residents could just come in any time after lunch hour and ask for their mail. But....while they were picking up their mail, they would buy milk, eggs, bread, soup and the like. In the 1950's Dad started a meat ring. Not everyone had refrigerators, so every two weeks, local residents could buy fresh meat and have it delivered. The General Store was kind of a middle man in that one!" Earl laughed.

"Once everyone had a telephone, we took phone orders. That was a funny thing too. You know they were party lines and a lot of housewives listened in. Sometimes something would be on special and everyone on the same line would hear about it and then every household had to buy it as well. Every day we would get calls as soon as the store opened: 'Good morning, Earl. Could I please place an order for when my husband picks up the mail? The husbands never knew what to expect and rarely had cash. Nobody used credit cards or debit. We ran a tab in a notebook and they paid their account once a month."

"Now that you are operating the store, you must have evolved again to the times. What is the secret to the longevity and success of Eldridgeville General Store?"

Earl laughed before answering. "Well, I have two or three secrets. I got myself a good wife. I married Ethel in 1962 and she was keen on helping in the store. She had her own ideas. She went after the Simpson Sears and Eaton's parcel pickup point. These were the predecessors of Amazon. Residents eagerly awaited new catalogues and then they would phone orders into Sears  or Eaton's and the parcels would be delivered to the store. Of course, when they came to pick up their parcel,  they would pick up odds and ends of groceries and the like."

"Next thing, Ethel took over the front corner to the left of the door. She turned the window into a beautiful display of giftware. She sourced fancy tea cups...Royal Albert, Duchess and other fine China and displayed it all on fancy doilies. Chip and dip bowls were popular so she got some of those big bowls with the metal ring to attach a smaller dip bowl. We sold a lot of those plus the chips and dip! She joined the Sewing Circle to figure out their needs and soon carried a line of fabric bolts, wool and notions. Ethel never ran out of ideas and soon we were a basic little mini mall."

Earl turned serious. "Ethel passed several years ago. That side of the store is rather empty. I still have a few dusty tea cups and hope I can clear them out with the fancy Mother's Day Tea Party coming up next week. When it is cleared out, I might turn it into a coffee shop. We have no Tim Horton's out here."

Earl chuckled again. "I want to show you something. See that gumball machine? Who would have thought it would be part of the success story? It has been on the candy counter for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, you could get a lot of candy for a nickel and a gumball for a penny. Around 2012, I started saving all the pennies. Ethel had a good stash already for playing Rumoli but once we heard the penny was going to be phased out, we didn't turn any pennies into the bank. Ever hear the saying 'watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves'? I think that was Benjamin Franklin that coined the phrase, no pun intended. Well pennies are a novelty now. Kids drag their parents in for a penny gumball. For a nickel, I give them two pennies. They spend one or both but it keeps the pennies in circulation. When I empty the gumball machine, we start all over again."

When asked what Earl thought the future of Eldridgeville General Store looked like, he sat quietly and thought aloud, "I don't know. I am the end of the line. Ethel and I had no children. We always closed our doors on Sunday but now people want me to open on Sundays. I don't want to. New people and younger people travel further and to bigger centres. They have greater needs and aren't as involved in the community. Heck, last Sunday, Easter Sunday, some young woman called me to ask if I had a fresh turkey. She had forgotten to buy one for her Easter dinner! I have concerns about the future but for now I have no intention of retiring or selling. I am only 85 years old!"

Congratulations Eldridgeville General Store!