North Battleford’s corner stores were a vital fixture of the city over the years. They provided work and an income for hundreds of our citizens. And often, perhaps most of the time, they provided living quarters for families, usually on the top floor over the store. Inexpensive rent to be sure. In addition, families had ready access to food and confectionaries at wholesale prices. It was a good life.
I intend to catalogue 35 corner stores. There are only two left in operation. The big chain stores forced most of them to close. They couldn’t compete. I give names, street addresses, streets on which they are located and the original names of the streets (ie., 95th Street was originally called , “Richard Street” (My family and I lived on Richard Street in a wartime house for 15 months). There was never a corner store on 95th Street.
Here are the historic corner stores in alphabetical order:
Abe’s Fine Foods –1165 King Street (101st Street); 2) Albert’s Confectionary – 1402 John Street (109th Street); 3) Balmoral/Weedmark’s – 1291 Frederick Street (97th Street); 4) Capital Grocery – 1602 William Street (96th Street); 5) Chadwick’s Grocery – 1393 Harold Street (93rd Street); 6) Connaught Grocery – 911 Arthur Street (106th Street); 7) Congill’s – 1292 Arthur Street (106th Street); 8) Craig’s Food Fair -1092 First Avenue (11th Avenue); 9) Dick’s Grocery – 751 Edward Street (102nd Street); 10) Donald Street Grocery – 1171 Donald Street (110th Street); 11) Fawley’s – 110 King Street (101st Street); 12) Foodland – 1702 Donald Street (110th Street); 13) Greenslade – 1302 Charles Street (107th Street); 14) Hewer Grocery – 1702 Edward Street (102nd Street); 15) James Street Grocery – 852 James Street (108th Street); 16) J and A Foodmaster – 1845 Main Street (100th Street); 17) J. E. Sanders – 1147 King Street (101st Street); 18) King Grocery – 1491 Edward Street (102nd Street); 19) Maher and Company – 1992 King Street (101st Street); 20) May Bothers – 1034 Edward Street (102nd Street); 21) Newsham Grocery – 1082 Edward Street (101st Street); 22) North Park Store – 3402 Victoria Street (99th Street); 23) Olympia Confectionary – 1041 King Street (101st Street); 24) Patricia Confectionary – 1048 King Street (101st Street); 25) Ralph’s Red and White – 1701 Mary Street (101 Street); 26) Red Rooster – 2001 Tenth Avenue (20th); 27) Rex Grocery – 1211 Main Street (100th Street); 28) Riverview Grocery – 732 Main Street (100th Street); 29) Star Grocery – 1501 King Street (101st Street); 30) Polar Bar – 1402 York Street (104th Street); 31) Sunnyside/Sambo’s – 991 John Street (109th Street; 32) Victoria Supply – 1591 Victoria Street (99th Street); 33) Wally’s Food Basket – 1102 Charles Street (107th Street); 34) Yorke’s Confectionary -1022 King Street (101st Street); 35) Carr’s Shoprite – 1092 George Street (103rd Street).
There are only two corner stores still in business and both of them are thriving – doing very well thank you. One is Foodland located strategically at 18th Avenue and 110th Street. It offers a full line of produce, dairy products and confectionaries. In addition it has a laundromat and Chester Fried Chicken. It boasts a great location kitty-corner to the North Battleford Comprehensive High School, and of course, provides a multi service establishment for the surrounding area.
In this installment, I will showcase Wally’s Food Basket.
Roman and Elaine Nychyk, our neighbours on Gregory Drive, bought Wally’s Food Basket (corner of 11th Avenue and 107th Street) from Wally Dubnyk in 1973 and owned it for 32 years (they sold the store in 2005). Elaine also operated a Wally’s Food Store for 10 years on 100th Street in the mini mall (1500 block - south of the Subway outlet). The stores boasted a full line of canned goods, produce, and meat and other amenities like an ice machine. In addition, the Nychyks were extremely busy with a catering business. It would be an understatement to say that Roman and Elaine were very hard workers. Running the stores was labour intensive. The Nychyks made their stores into a highly profitable enterprise. (Sources: Lyle Meckling; North Battelford Archives)
I can personally attest to the convenience of corner stores. My wife and baby son and I lived on the corner of 15th Avenue and 11th Street (in a four-plex) when we moved to North Battleford in 1970. Our convenience store was Louis Bandet’s corner store located at 1402 – 104th Street. The store ran a good line of canned goods, dairy products, preserved meats and candies, licorice and chocolate bars, etc. As I recall, the Bandet family lived upstairs above the store. I remember that the Bandet children were strikingly good looking. And they all helped their dad run the store.
Louis used to run late hours, so I could jump in the Datsun and pick up a quart of milk (no litres then) or a loaf of bread. Perhaps a treat like ice cream cones for my wife and I. Bandet’s corner store was convenient. I have no idea what happened to the Bandets. The store has been converted into suites.
(Source: Full credit to the North Battleford Archives)
