Former grocery store staff reminisce about the past

Frank Nold, Cathy Nold, Elaine Lockhart and Judy Bond-Blodgett take a moment away from reminiscing about the old days at the IGA to pose for a photo. (Karen Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Employees in the former IGA/Loeb/Valu-Mart saw many changes over the years the store operated in Tillsonburg. They gathered recently to reminisce 25 years after the store closed.

Opening as the IGA in 1979, the store was the first retailer open in the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall. It was one of the original anchor stores, located where Staples and Shoppers Drug Mart are today. The new store replaced the original IGA, which was torn down to make way for the new development. Trottier Foods owned both the older and the newer store at the beginning.

When it opened, the store featured the newest convenience for grocery shoppers: parcel pick-up. This conveyor system moved groceries from inside the store to a covered canopy outside, where customers could drive up and have their groceries loaded into their trunks by store staff.

Many changes took place over the years, with the first being Trottier Foods' bankruptcy, followed by IGA's sale to Loeb. In between the location being corporately owned, Dale Moore and Tom Kipp were owners. Along the way, Loeb sold to Valu-Mart, which was a subsidiary of the Loblaw Group. With Zehrs also being owned by Loblaws, the store’s days were numbered.

With a Christmas newspaper greeting ad from 1979 or 1980 showing a staff exceeding 70, the grocery retailer provided a first job for many teenagers. Some stayed with it, while others went on to a variety of careers, ranging from the insurance industry to factory jobs to becoming a dentist. Besides being a job, many in attendance at the reunion on June 27 talked of it being family. Those working at the store went through many victories, trials, and tribulations together, with a little romance occasionally mixed in for interest.

Nancy Walker (Shelton) organized the reunion. She started at the store in 1989 and was deli manager when it closed in 2001.

“The store was closed, and it was unexpected. This is a way to get everyone together and reminisce,” she said of the reason for organizing the event.

About 50 people turned out for the event.

One person many associated with the IGA, since he started in the old store, moved to the new one, and then on to Zehrs, was Lyle Kent.

“It’s all I knew,” he said of the grocery business. “It’s what I did since the beginning, so I stayed with it.”

He started packing groceries, moved to stocking grocery shelves, then to produce manager, and then back to grocery, where he stayed as assistant grocery manager until Valu-Mart closed.

Bob Feere started in the IGA days as a full-time produce employee, and was there 15 years, finishing as assistant produce manager when the doors closed.

“It was comfortable,” he said of the reason for staying in the store.

But when the store closed, it pushed him in a new career direction.

Feere met his wife, Evelyn, there, and they have been married for 33 years. She still works at Zehrs.

Tony Vandevyvere succeeded Kent as the produce manager. Starting as a high school student packing groceries, he moved to the produce department and became manager. Vandevyvere met his wife Cindy there, who worked in the front end. After the store closed, he worked for Loblaws as a produce trainer. Together, they eventually owned a grocery store in Dorchester.

“The opportunities presented themselves to move forward,” he said. “When the opportunities presented themselves, I jumped in with both feet. It served me well.”

Elaine Hickey, who worked as a cashier from 1979 to 1983, recalls the fun of working in the store.

Cathy Nold, also a cashier, commented, “It was like family, and we all got along.” She worked there from 1980 to 1982, then returned in 1984.

Chris Rosehart was an employee in the old store in both the meat department and deli. She became deli manager when the new store opened before she left to open her own store.

“It was a God-send working for George Trottier,” she said. “He was an awesome manager; he was amazing. We had great staff who always helped each other out. That whole place was a team.”

Martha Cook, who is well known in town for her years working in the Royal Hotel and the Copper Mug, started at the IGA when she was 17. She worked in the old store for two or three years before starting in the Royal.

“We had so much fun then,” she recalled at the reunion.

Peter Restinas, who has worked at Zehrs since 1989, started in the grocery business at the IGA in 1984. He, too, talked about the family atmosphere, the jokes, staff initiation, and the barbecues.

“I’ll never forget those days,” he said.