Brockville is a small city (25,000) in the Thousands Islands, on the St. Lawrence River between the City of Kingston and the Quebec border. Like so many other communities that settled along the river, its main street is called King and its main street architecture is 19th century. We visit often because of family and we’ve walked down King Street a gazillion times, but I never paid much attention to Ritchie’s before. Then this past Christmas Eve, my eye caught the big Lotto 649 sandwich board outside its door and, feeling lucky, I decided to pop in and buy us a Christmas lottery ticket. That’s when I discovered that Ritchie’s isn’t your average convenience store. Its huge glass display cases, old wooden counter tops and shelves are 1870 originals and some of its advertising is almost as old, like the two bevelled mirrors. One reads “Smoke the creme de la creme Rosa & Sonora Cigars”. It came from a Montreal cigar company that’s long gone.
Only two families have owned Ritchie’s since 1870 – the Ritchie family and then since 1955, the Hicklings. I met John Hickling while buying my lottery ticket. He told me his dad started working at Ritchie’s in 1925 eventually buying the store and the 3-storey building it’s housed in. When John’s dad died in 1985, John took over. Later John’s son Peter, came on board. John was gracious enough to show me around. In the back is Ritchie’s former pool hall with its original tables gathering dust. Downstairs amid boxes and boxes of chocolate bars, there’s an old wreck of a five-pin bowling alley with its original slate scoreboard. Names and scores dating back 70 years are still recorded, including a perfect game scored by Alfie Countryman ‘way back in 1939. Later, over Christmas Eve dinner, I told my Ritchie’s story. My mother says the name “Countryman” still exists in the area. She and her friend Margaret, who joined us for Christmas turkey, had never heard of the bowling alley though and both thought Ritchie’s would be a great addition to a future Doors Open.
Here are more old general stores in Canada. Got an old general store in your part of the world? We’d love to hear about it.
King Street in Brockville, Ontario. Winter, 2009.
Ritchie’s has been on King Street in Brockville since 1870. Photo credit: Ritchie’s
My favourite general store of all time is the Rosseau General Store on the north shore of Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Ontario. The owners, Brian and Cheryl, are awesome people, and you can get anything from ice cream to hardware to your Thanksgiving turkey at the RGS. Whether you’re celebrity-spotting (Martin Short, Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell, lots of NHLers…), need an update on a recent power failure, or simply need a box of baking soda, there’s always an adventure to be had!
I think I know this store where #7 (back route from Port Carling) meets the 141? I’ve never been in but your comment makes me want to visit. Another favourite of ours is southeast of Algonquin is Robinson’s in Dorset. I think it’s been going since 1921. Thanks for sharing. Appreciated.
stopped in at the General Store years ago – takes you back to “better days” I remember thinking who would think you could get a steak for supper , hardward supplies and a video for the evening entertainment ……Is there any pictures on line or do they have a website ?
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for leaving us a comment. I’m not sure if you are talking Ritchie’s in Brockville, Robinson’s in Dorset or the Sedalia or Halkirk general stores in Alberta. If Robinson’s, yes it does have a web site, http://www.robinsonsgeneralstore.ca/ The only one we found for Ritchie’s was http://www.canadaconnects.ca/brockville/10082 Halkirk Snak Shack is listed on yellow pages and so forth and Sedalia Coop has its own Facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sedalia-Co-op/157306067661413
I grew up in what I call “old Brockville” before expansion north of the 401. Ritchie’s was a great store. Mostly a “cigar” store, it had a very cool coke cooler in it, a great selection of comics, a pool table in the back (where us kids couldn’t go!). The floors were solid hardwood, and it always smelled of cigars. I miss “old-time” places the most, tobaccanists, bakeries, even shoe stores had an individual smell to them. Now it all smells like floor cleaner and hand wash….pity
There is a Ritchie’s that also started in Victoria, Australia,1970, by a Thomas Ritchie who was a survivor of a ship wreck. He was aged 18 when the ship was wrecked in 1852.
Brenda,
Thanks for checking in from Australia. Do you know anyting more about that shipwreck story?
Does anyone remember Larone’s General Store in Shannonville, Ontario?
We used to walk out of our cottage on Fish Lake Rd to the Novar General Store and ask the poor owner to count out two dollars worth of penny black balls to last us for the rest of the summer. Such a quiet and kind man. Hot, dusty roads that smelled like oil on the way home but lots of great memories.