General Stores and Grocery Stores

General stores have always been spaces for sharing and exchanges in our villages. While few still exist, having given way to specialty stores and corner stores, in another era they were essential for purchasing basic necessities.

Faida Grondines General Store, circa 1920.

In Grondines, with the exception of the countryside lots, each end of the village had its own general store. It’s safe to assume that competition was fierce: at one point, four general stores and grocery stores were vying for customers. The golden age of small-scale grocery stores lasted until the middle of the 20th century. People came to buy their supplies, meet other residents, chat—and sometimes argue—with one another.

Something for Everyone

General Store J.E. Blais General Store, circa 1940.

Gradually, each store developed its own specialty and clientele. Rosario Houde’s store at the top of the hill was the very definition of a general store. It stocked basic groceries… and everything else from shovels to hammers. His was by far the biggest store in Grondines.

A few steps away, the modest J. E. Blais store also sold basic products. A little farther away, in the faubourg, Robert Mayrand ran a small grocery store, which also had a hardware counter. Roland Sauvageau’s store sat on prime location right next to the church. The building housed the credit union until the late 1960s. Anyone who needed to stop at the bank had to walk through his store. Clever!

Épicerie Isidore Arcand, 1954.

Isidore Arcand, who arrived in 1945 at the age of 24, dreamed of opening the biggest little grocery store in Grondines. For 40 years, he was the village’s only butcher, except for the brief presence of Jean-Guy Devault, who dared to compete with him in 1970 after buying the Blais store.

To set themselves apart, Roland Sauvageau, next to the church, and Isidore Arcand, just west of the school, even added delivery to their range of services. The latter’s son, Serge, would ride his bicycle with a large basket on the front to deliver supplies, just like in the big city.

Sauvageau General Store, circa 1975.

The advent of superstores hurt the small village grocery stores, but especially their owners. One by one, they fell victim to the lure of bigger and newer.