Morien Businesses of the Past

Morien Businesses of the Past. . Joseph Talmage (J.T.) Irwin purchased a parcel of land in 1917 on the south side of Breakwater Street, with the intention of building an all-purpose store. He operated it for several years. At his death in 1934, his wife, Charlotte, and their daughter and son-in-law, continued the business until the late 1940s. The leading store in Port Morien, it offered a combination of dry goods and groceries. Deliveries were made in the area by horse and wagon. One of the prominent inside workers was Joe Owens, a well-known citizen of Port Morien, who later ran his own store. In 1919, Mr. Irwin sent a contribution to the Halifax Herald to help support underprivileged children. His contribution led to the establishment of Rainbow Haven, which existed for many years after his death., About 1922, a four-storey store was built at the corner of Breakwater and Main St. by P.J. Leslie's, a dry goods operation selling lumber from a storage yard located adjacent to St. John's Church. The store was located on this site. There were a number of apartments located in the building. Shores Chain Stores operated in the building for a period of time. Johnny Prendergast purchased the store in the 1940s and dealt in groceries and dry goods. He had a lunch counter and an ice cream parlour. The post office was also located here. Arthur Bray later purchased the building, and he and his family operated the business until the early 1980s. The building was torn down in 1988., The Landrys operated a store on the corner of Breakwater and Main. They sold the business to Alfred Trenholm. Ed Peters acquired the business, and he sold it to the Shore family, who owned a local chain of stores. Apartments were located on the second floor of this building. They had previously been located in the O.J. Spencer store a few hundred meters from here on Main Street., In the late 1960's, Hopper MacLeod, who managed the store at the time, purchased the operation. His family continued to run the store after his death in 2000., Directly behind this store, on Breakwater Street, the Modern Clothing store did a thriving business for about 20 years until the late 1960's. It was owned by Hopper MacLeod and Harold Wadden, and operated on a daily basis by Mr. Wadden. He also had a barber shop there and sold insurance., Across the town square, on the opposite side of Main Street, there was once a cobbler shop and later a grocery store. Across Breakwater Street from this site, on the same side of Main Street, was a very large building known as MacArel's store. It later housed Danny MacAulay's morgue and funeral home. Mr. MacAulay also had a forge on Breakwater Street. The businesses closed upon his death in 1944., The MacRury Store was located next to the MacArel store on Main Street. It included the post office, and after being rented to Andrew Satton, was purchased by Cyril Barro Sr. His store was part of the Lucky Dollar Chain. Upon his retirement, his son Cyril Jr. ran the business., (photo captions) , 1. Landry's Store, later the site of Hopper's store, was on the corner of Breakwater and Main St. , 2. McArel's Store , later MacAulay's Funeral Home, it was torn down in the late 50's. , 3. The Modern Cooperative was managed by Arthur Bray. , 4. Interior Photo of the Port Morien Cheap Store. Over the years the counter on the left served as the grocery counter. , 5. Workers in front of the Port Morien Cheap Store during a sale. JT Irwin is pictured second from the right. Next to Mr. Irwin is Clyde Spencer. , 6. Shore's store. This store became Hopper's store. Still in the family, it is now a one-storey building. , 7. This store was operated by the Barro Family. Mr. Barro replaced the original structure in the 1950s. The store closed in 1991. , 8. Arthur Bray's store in the 1970s, formerly P.J. Leslie's. , 9. Maclnnis' Store, which operated on the corner of Cliff and Main, was a general store dealing in groceries and dry goods. It was torn down in the 1950s. . This historical marker was erected by Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority, and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. It is in Port Morien in Cape Breton Region Nova Scotia