Mrs. A.E. Greer was a storekeeper for many years in Glamis. She describes the store’s early days, including memories provided by Mrs. Lila MacLean. Here are more of their memories.
The coming of the automobile brought the need for gasoline. The storekeeper would pump full the large glass bowl atop the pumps. It could hold ten gallons. The customer would then buy what he needed from the bowl. The Depression years were hardship years for the storekeeper, like everyone else. Only necessities were stocked as the store knew that customers could not afford luxuries. Many accounts were simply written off when families could not pay.
Two children were born to Bert and Laura Greer. Once old enough, they were called upon to help out at the store, sometimes giving the storekeeper a break for a quick meal. The era of electricity brought refrigeration, electric scales and lights. Fresh meat could now be kept longer for sale. Soft drinks became popular. Wartime brought rationing which caused scarcity of many items. A case of salmon or chocolate bars or cans of vegetables were real treats received from wholesalers and doled out only to local customers, never strangers passing through.
After the war, another change in ownership took place when the Greer’s son, Ernie, who returned from the war, took over the store and with his wife, Marianne, moved into the family home where both he and his mother had been born. Oil stoves were coming into the country and the store got a new one, eliminating the daily need to bring in wood and haul out ashes. The heat could now be left on all night, giving much comfort to the storekeeper after digging his way through snow to get to the front door. This generation of Greers had four children who managed to find their way into the store at an early age. At times, their high chair or playpen became almost fixtures there.
In 1958, the new store was built and with it came self-service. But many older customers still handed their list to the storekeeper to be filled. Many more happy memories continued to be created over the years.
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The original article from the 1979 Bruce County Historical Society’s Yearbook was abridged by Bob Johnston.
