After serving the communities of Goderich and Kincardine for nearly seven decades, Fincher’s will soon close as Tom and Dawn Fincher are set to retire at the end of this year.
After 69 wonderful years and three generations of family working in the stores, Tom and Dawn have decided it is time begin the process of retiring and closing both locations.
“The retirement is going to occur, not because there’s any other reason other than it is time,” said Tom.
“It’s just time.”
According to Tom and Dawn, this is not a decision made lightly, as Fincher’s as been at the centre of their lives and of the community for so long.
In a statement to the public, Tom and Dawn expressed the privilege they feel, having been part of the community’s milestones, traditions, and everyday moments.
For their loyal customers over the years Tom and Dawn have nothing but profound gratitude for their support over the decades, and in some cases through multigenerational families.
During a time of infinite choice for customers, Tom is grateful for the unending support to shop at their family-run business.
“We know there’s a lot of options, and we know that not everything is obtainable in a small community,” he said.
“We appreciate the support, and the level of trust from our customers that we will do right by them. It doesn’t work without their support.”
Fincher’s has been more than just a store since its beginnings in Goderich in 1956 when his father Dennis purchased the building, which was an old tobacco shop with a pool hall in behind.
After immigrating to Canada from England, Tom’s father Dennis Fincher was driven by the need to provide for and feed his family of six children – Tom, Eric, Karen, Debbie, Susan and Nancy.
Tom’s mother and father, Mary and Dennis Fincher, started the business nearly 70 years ago, becoming a success quickly and which continued to grow and evolve over time.
It was a true family effort, and at one point Tom’s four sisters and his brother had all worked at the store.
“I grew up in here, along with my family,” Tom remarked.
Tom’s father Dennis did it all from nothing. He took that space and turned it into a family legacy that three generations have enjoyed. Over the years that store has provided a warm space for locals and loyal customers to feel at home, whether shopping for that perfect gift or picking up their favourite newspaper.
Tom attributes the success his parents had with Fincher’s in a short period of time to their determination. The store provided an opportunity for the family to have work.
Although Tom’s siblings worked at the family-run store, he was the only one who knew from an early age that he wanted to run Fincher’s.
“I knew when I was in high school, I wanted to do this,” admitted Tom.
“I knew there were expectations when you’re the owner’s son, but I knew I wanted it when I started buying for my dad when I was 10 years old.”
That was 53 years ago.
When he was young, Tom helped his father buy products for the store, but not because his father pushed or enticed him to do so, but because he wanted to. Tom first took on the task of buying plastic model kits and leather wallets for the store inventory and never looked back from there.
“I can remember going to trade shows and I was 12,” remembered Tom.
“I was very fortunate with the opportunity.”
It wasn’t all business from the start. Tom’s father and mother insisted their children receive an education first.
Earning an undergraduate degree was a non-negotiable within the Fincher family. Tom’s father immigrated to Canada with only a sixth-grade education to his name, making his success and business savvy even more impressive.
“He always felt that education was paramount to give you the opportunity to have options in life,” Tom added.
Tom attended university, and the day following his final exams in 1983, he was working at Fincher’s and has never been employed anywhere else.
He soon began taking on a more serious role at Fincher’s.
Tom never felt pressure to work at or take over Fincher’s. When he was in high school, he knew he wanted it, and when Tom was in his late teens or early 20s, his father had been approached a few times asking if he would sell the business.
Tom’s father never put pressure on him but considered his thoughts and opinion on the matter.
When Tom admitted he wanted to take over the business that meant the end of entertaining any thoughts on selling the business.
His father retired in 1991, and Tom took over the family business.
In 1991 Tom met his wife Dawn, and she too became a part of the family business. Soon after they started a family and all three of their children – Billy, Laine and David - have worked at the store.
“They all had an interest in helping,” he said.
“They have no interest in doing what their parents do, and that’s fine. You don’t want to put that kind of pressure on your kids.”
Despite their children having different dreams in life, Tom and Dawn continued to grow their business throughout the years by attending trade shows and pursuing what they thought were customer interests. This allowed the store to continue to evolve and remain a success.
“When I started out I had very little equity,” admitted Tom.
“I just had his [my father’s] equity that I was borrowing against and paying it back. I had to manage myself and be shrewd and astute, while keeping an eye on everything.”
Stepping into an already successful business gave Tom the cushion that allowed him to take bigger risks and create a bigger inventory.
Another thing that Tom attributes to the continued success of Fincher’s over the last 70 years is something his father taught him about looking after the customer.
“It doesn’t matter if that customer is buying a newspaper, or if they’re buying, well back in his day, a $30 pipe, which would be like spending $250 now,” explained Tom.
“You look after them because you want them to come back, you don’t want to give them a reason to go somewhere else. All those things are still true.”
Tom admits he had the advantage of taking over a business that was already successful.
In his humble answers, Tom didn’t hesitate to mention the efforts he and Dawn, along with their staff members made over the years to continue to keep Fincher’s a viable and beloved community store.
“A lot of credit is due to the people who worked here. I have had fantastic staff, some who have worked here for over 20 years, and another, who manages the store in Kincardine who has been with us for 50 years,” Tom explained.
“None of this could have been possible without fantastic people [helping]. It’s a conscious decision to find people that maybe don’t have retail experience, but they have the right personality, the right temperament and they are willing to learn.”
From selling candy or magazines, toys or gifts and clothing, over the years Fincher’s has continued to evolve.
There have been times when things have been difficult, bumps in the road and challenges like COVID, or weather, or illness and staffing issues. There were even times when challenges arose because vendors decided they were going to arbitrarily pull a product line out from underneath a small business.
“We’ve gone through all those things, and it’s a question of how much you want to keep pursuing it, how much are you going to dust yourself off and keep on going?” remembered Tom.
“If we stayed where we were when my dad started, this would not be successful and would have closed a long time ago. It’s been an evolution over time of picking the right products.”
Apart from intelligent business management and product choices, sometimes timing and luck can play into the success of a business.
With running a small-town business amidst the endless choices, big box stores and immediate delivery from Amazon, Tom and Dawn were able to proudly continue to keep the family business a success over the last 53 years.
“There’s a lot of personal satisfaction, it’s rewarding,” said Tom.
“It’s been very rewarding on many levels. If you have the right drive, and you have a little bit of luck, and the right people with you, because you cannot do it by yourself, anything’s possible.”
Most days Tom and Dawn have been able to do what they enjoy, but like any job there can be people who make your day more difficult, or you might run into parts of your job you don’t necessarily like. It’s the nature of work.
For Tom, despite minor challenges, he has enjoyed running the business over the years.
“If you enjoy it a little bit, and you have people along with you working along the same goals, you can make it,” he added.
“You can really have an impact.”
When it comes to the longevity of running a successful business, Tom explains the experience has provided opportunities to meet lovely people, to see the joy in young children’s eyes light up as they walk downstairs to the toy section, and to build some long-lasting memories.
“We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve had this level of success and it’s in large part to our hard work, our family’s work, and our staff,” Tom remarked.
“Then having our customers, making that conscious decision to shop at our store, it speaks volumes to the work that we all do.”
Since announcing their retirement on social media, Tom admits there have been some interested parties who have entertained the thought of buying the business and taking over. No details have been released yet, as nothing concrete has been presented or discussed.
“It’s very early, and I wouldn’t say anything serious yet,” said Tom.
“We’re completely open to talking about that.”
The only thing that would be a non-negotiable would be the business name Fincher’s, which would retire with Tom and Dawn, who have devoted a lot of their time and life to the store, putting other priorities and wants on the backburner due to responsibilities.
“We have foregone some things. Not big things, but there have been things,” he admitted.
“It’s time to step back and have time to do things that we’ve put on the backburner.”
With the expansion to Kincardine in 1978, Fincher’s has served these two communities for nearly 70 years. It’s a comfort store, a space that feels like home for many who have worked there over the years and for their loyal customers who have been able to count on Fincher’s being there.
When asked to summarize his career with Fincher’s, the ever-evolving store that his father built from nothing, Tom simply said ‘proud’.
“Proud of what we’ve done,” he added.
“We’ve been able to do it the way we wanted to. I’m certainly proud of what my family’s done; my wife, my children, my siblings, and what my parents did.”
What started out as a dream driven by one man to provide for his family, grew to become a staple in this community, one which will be missed dearly.
The Kincardine store will remain open until approximately August 31, 2025, while the Goderich location will remain open until approximately December 31, 2025.
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