(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Melfort Business History

Melfort and District Museum asking residents to provide info, pics of downtown businesses

Apr 7, 2020 | 12:00 PM

The Melfort and District Museum is tackling another project, and they are looking for the public’s help.

The museum is looking for new and old Melfort business, street pictures and information for their business research.

Curator Gailmarie Anderson told northeastNOW they are looking for images of the interior and exterior of buildings, and the years they were in operation.

The business research project began about five years ago, and they have been looking at the entire city by lot and block as far as what business was in it, who owned it, and more. Most of their research was focused on the era from Melfort’s inception to the 1980s, and Anderson said they are looking to fill in the gaps from the 80s to today.

“Lately, this past year or so, we have been concentrating more on going forward from 1980, and hoping to get up to the present at some point in time,” Anderson said.

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She said the museum is looking for any information, and any pictures that people might have. The focus at this point is on the downtown core.

Changes

It may not seem like it to some, but the downtown core in Melfort has changed drastically over the past 40 years.

“There [are] very few buildings that have been what they started out as,” Anderson said. She said the former barbershop beside the Chances ‘R’ Hotel is one of the few businesses that had been a barbershop for many years before it closed several years back.

There are many examples in Melfort’s downtown core of businesses that are one thing now, but used to have a different purpose.

The Scotiabank was previously Melfort’s theatre. George Home Hardware was once an OK Economy for a number of years. Pharmasave used to be Macleod’s Hardware.

The current Royal Bank location at the corner of Main St. and MacLeod Ave. E. has been the site of many different businesses.

Anderson said the lot once housed a department store, the Canada West grain office. That was followed by another store, then the Star department store, which changed to the StyleRite store, and ultimately the Royal Bank.

There have also been a number of changes due to unforeseen circumstances, including the fire that destroyed the Coach and 3 at the corner of Main St. and Burrows Ave. W., where Affinity Credit Union is now located.

Anderson said people can reply to the museum via their Facebook page or over email. Pictures will not be accepted in person at this time as the museum remains closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974