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Friday, October 11, 2024 7 Brooklin Town Crier The 19th and early 20th centuries marked the golden age of the general store which sold a wide variety of goods packed into one room. These included everything from horse harnesses to cheddar cheese and flannel work shirts to chewing tobacco. Essentially, almost anything not produced on the farm could be found in a general store where merchandise was arranged on sawdust-strewn floors and timbered walls as well as hung from the ceilings on hooks. One of Brooklin's earliest general stores was on the southwest corner of Campbell and Baldwin streets, where the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce stands today. New building In 1888, Henry Daniels, a harness maker and shop owner, constructed a brick store in which to relocate his business from a log cabin situated across from the brick mill on Mill Street (Cassels Road East). Upon moving, Daniels distributed a handbill announcing, "We have moved out of our old, dark, dingy store into a splendid new brick store." He managed it for a few years before selling it to businessman John Warren, who operated a drug store on the premises until 1895, when he sold the property to merchant Alfred Charles Elliott. When Elliot first moved to Brooklin in 1889, he started a harness business in a building that was once situated on the lot between the Temperance House (currently the Legion) and Piatti's grocery store (Luna Dance Company). Later, this building was moved south to 46 Baldwin Street (now Skyview Electronics). After purchasing 50 Baldwin Street, he established the store which became central to the everyday lives of local residents by providing essential goods and services. In addition, he played an important social role in Brooklin as his store became a gathering place for residents and local farmers to exchange news and discuss local events. Elliot added to the property in 1903 by building a house alongside the store. Water issue In 1907, the village experienced a water shortage, likely caused by a long, hot, dry summer. To help, Elliott purchased and operated a water wagon, delivering much-needed drinking water to residents since local wells had dried up. The always forward-thinking Elliott expanded his business in 1915 by adding a delivery service. He invested in a truck outfitted to carry a variety of goods, allowing him to load groceries and travel to surrounding rural areas, offering his products directly to farm women as a convenient service to his more remote customers. Upon retirement, Elliott's son Charles Wesley, took over the family store which he operated successfully for over half a century. He died in 1984 at the age of 94. The store and house were demolished in 1967 to make way for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. However, as urbanization spread and department stores and mail order catalogues became popular, the general store gradually faded away. Today, only a few still exist in places like Enniskillen, Haliburton, Fenelon Falls and Port Hope. Our General Store By Jennifer Hudgins